Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management …...International Journal of Tourism and Travel 2014 ISSN: 0974-2603 Vol. 7, No. 1 & 2, 2014 International Journal of Tourism and

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ISSN: 0974-2603Vol. 7, No. 1 & 2, 2014

International Journal of

Tourism and Travel

Tourism and Travel

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e 7 Issue 1&

2Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management(An Organization of Ministry of Tourism, Government of India)

Govindpuri, Gwalior - 474 011 (M.P.)

Website: www.iittm.org

In this Issue

ISSN: 0974-2603Vol. 7, No. 1 & 2, 2014


Tourism and Travel

Tourism and Travel

Journal in association with

Ph: 011-28082485, 011-47044510

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.publishingindia.com

Publishing India Group

Estimating the Recreational Demand and Ecotourism Value of Mountain in Tourism Spots Arunachal Pradesh, India

Amitava MitraMaila Lama

Being Disabled Tourists: Influence of Barriers in Travel Decision-making

Sutheeshna Babu. S

Sustainable Tourism through Community Participation: A Study of the effects of capacity building in Puducherry

Sampad Kumar Swain

Comparative Analysis of First-time and Repeat Foreign Visitors to a Destination Country

Ahmand Puad Mat SomAzizan MarzukiSu Hasnah Hassan

Human Resource Development and Capacity Building in the Tourism Sector

Aparna Raj

Collaborative Participation in Destination Management : A Case of stakeholders in sustaining Pondichery

Sanjeev Reddy CKG Anajaneya SwamyNimit Chowdhary

Projecting and Promoting Kaziranga in Travel Websites: An analysis on select parameters

Pranjal Kumar Mahanta

Perceptions of Tourists toward E-tourism in IndiaMandeep KaurNitasha Sharma

ADVISORY BOARD

Professor Chris CooperDirector, Christel deHaan Tourism and Travel Research lnstituteUnited Kingdom

Professor Kaye ChonChair Professor & Director- School of Hotel and Tourism ManagmentHong Kong

Professor Brian KingHead of School of Hospitality, Tourism and Marketing, Victoria UniversityAustralia

Professor C. Michael HallUniversity of Canterbury, Christchurch,New Zealand

Dr. T.V. SinghEditor-in-Chief, Tourism Recreation ResearchIndia

Professor Zhang GuangruiDirector, Tourism Research CentreP.R China.

Dr. Fevzi Okumus

Editor of International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality ManagementUnited States of America

Professor S. KulshresthaIndian Institute of Tourism and Travel ManagementIndia

EDITORIAL BOARD

Editor-in-chiefProf. Sandeep Kulshreshtha

EditorDr. Sutheeshna Babu. S

Deputy EditorsDr. Charu Sheela Yadav

Sanjeev Reddy CKN. Subramaniam

Jeet Dogra

l.J. Tourism and Travel (IJT&T) is the bi-annual international journal of lndian lnstitute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM). Objective of this journal is to create value for enterprises and organisations in tourism, travel and related sectors and those committed to support them- policy makers, intervention agencies, researchers and academics, by establishing a platform for learning through sharing from experience, dialogue, creativity and imagination. Every issue of the journal many include contributions based on research, policy issues, conceptual models, reviews, case studies, view points, best practices, book reviews, conference reviews, etc. Contributors from all over are invited to share their ideas, knowledge, and experience through this platform. Authors and audiences may contact the editorial team at:

I.J. Tourism and TravelResearch Unit

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Gwalior 474011 MP INDIAFax.: +91-751-2344054

E-mail : [email protected]

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the articles carried in T&T do not reflect the opinion of Indian Institute of Travel and Tourism Management (IITTM) or the editorial team. The information in this journal in believed to be correct, but should not be treated as a substitute for detailed advice in individual situations. It is published without responsibility on part of IITTM and editorial team whether arising out of any negligence, misrepresentation or otherwise for loss occasioned to any person or organisation acting or refraining from acting as a result of any information contained herein. Claims for missing issues can be made within a period of four months of publication. Copyright©2014 Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management International Journal of Tourism and Travel is a bi-annual journal of Indian Institute of Travel and Tourism Management, Gwalior, 474O11, India. Printed and published by Director, Indian Institute of Travel and Tourism Management, Gwalior. Chief-editor: Prof. Sandeep Kulshreshtha, Indian Institute of Travel and Tourism Management, Gwalior 474011.

AdvertisementsInternational Journal of Tourism and Travel Management will accept advertisements. All advertisements are subject to approval by the Editor-in-chief. For details and rates please contact the IITTM office.

SubmissionsInternational Journal of Tourism and Travel Management publishes in the following categories of contributions- policy issues, research articles, concept papers, reviews and cases studies. Shorter contributions of 1500-3000 words are welcome in special categories of viewpoint, best practices, notes, concerns, book reviews and conference reports.Keeping in mind the audiences, presentation should be lucid and comprehensible. Authors are requested to make it to the point without using an extravagant or ornate language. Even it the manuscript reports the findings of original research, the methodology should be presented clearly and to the extent possible, in a non-technical manner such that our readers with limited back grounds in research methods and analysis are not discouraged from reading the article. Submissions must not be restricted to mere statement of facts. A lot of importance is attached to the analysis of the issue/concept/ findings and their potential for value addition to existing body of knowledge or practice for Tourism, travel and related activities.Preferred method of submitting manuscripts is through electronic mail to the editor. Submission should be made in Word .doc or .rtt formats. Do not disclose your identity anywhere in the paper except on the cover page.Always indicate which category of submission you are making. Editor/ referees can suggest a change of category.While submitting electronically always mention in the subject line: Enterprise/ Author name/ first three words in the title.In case manuscript is submitted through surface mail, submit three copies it must accompany paper on CD in the desired format. Ensure that file is free of viruses. It is generally good to create a folder and one copy each inside and outside he folder is sate.For detailed guidelines on submission or for submission contact:

Editor

I.J. Tourism and TravelResearch UnitIndian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM)Govindpuri, Gwalior 4740l 1 (MP) INDIAE-mail: [email protected]

CopyrightIt is a condition of publication that manuscripts submitted to this journal have not been published and will not be simultaneously submitted or published elsewhere. By submitting e manuscript, the authors agree that the copyright for the article is transferred to the publisher, it and when the article is accepted for publication. The copyright covers the exclusive rights to reproduce and distribute the article, including reprints, photographic reproductions, microform, electronic or other reproductions of similar nature and translations. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without permission in writing from the copyright holder.

From the editor’s desk

On Creative Tourism

By beginning of 1990, the tourist gaze began assuming varied meanings and manifestations though it remained largely within the realm of traditional indulgences of seeing, viewing and circumventing. John Urry, the protagonist of the ‘gazing’ paradigm subsequently elaborated on its globalisation, coinciding with the rapid technology-assisted transformations and ‘death of distance’. The later gave rise to a phenomenon called liquid modernity (Bauman), a by-product of rapid movement of the culturally distinct and diverse corporeal travel playing an active catalystistic role, whilst partially. In response, tourism reflectivity being reflected in the monitoring, evaluation and development of the places to their tourism potential has also grown. The reflectivity was focused in identifying the textual and contextual history, culture and geography of the places as the resources for the actual as well as potential tourist’s gaze. Almost until the beginning of the New Millennium, textual production and reproduction of the corporeal place to palate the burgeoning gazers and maximising its presence in a turbulent global market formed dominant dictums of the reflectivity search.

From consumption angle, corporeal travel until two decades ago was largely meant travel and touring to see and/or indulge with the offerings of the places. While gazing still formed dominant of all motivational traits- an often attributed characteristic of the mass market. Serious pursuits such as learning and experiencing have fast gained momentum. The immensity and magnitude of the later has indeed become the defining facet of the post-reflective travel. Major factors contributed to the process of tourist consumer market transformation have been repeat visitation, motivational changes, technology edifice and functional specialisation of the service providers. The dominant dictum has also been changed from ‘touring’ to ‘travelling’ where huge numbers no longer choose to be part of the tourist-stereotype of mere gazing. Rather, their quest is to strive for higher meanings and purposes out of their travel pursuits often an extension of their lifestyle itself. The travel is often taken by them as opportunities to express their humanistic virtues by way of indulgence in the charity, philanthropy and promoting sustainable practices.

As matter of fact, culture has been single largest of the travel motivations in the known history of tourism. The Grand Tour, often treated as the precursor to modern tourism, is a classic case of the culture turning to a perennial source attracting visitors. But, with passage of time, the cultural tours have turned multi-dimensional and hierarchic. The spectrum of those pursuing access and longing engagements with the destination culture and history in expectation of authentic, real experiences grew exponentially in the process to represent a distinguishable paradigm shift in travel motivation patterns. This facet of cultural touring, of late, has been termed as creative tourism or third generation tourism- the first and second being beach and cultural tourism respectively. The intent of creative tourists is to become part of the living culture, history and societal practices of the places/destinations where visitation takes place.

UNESCO (2006) took the lead in defining creative tourism and it states: ‘it is travel directed toward an engaged and authentic experience, with participative learning in the arts, heritage or special character of a place, and it provides a connection with those reside in the place and create this living culture‘. While culture is the core, it is distinguished from cultural tourism by its emphasis on active participation/engagement and learning. To fulfil this, they take part in place-specific cultural activities like craft-making, performing arts, culinary practices and the like that in turn fostering close connect between travellers, host community and the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the place. Further, creative tourism envisages providing real authentic encounters and not the staged or simulated one, meaning for instance; Kathakali or Hindustani musical traditions should be experienced and understood in the temples of Kerala or in the musical kharanas where these art forms and traditional have been followed.

The very nature of creative tourism is its spatial fixity although creative industry is not necessarily so. The tangible and intangible aspects of the ‘place’ are crucial inputs while its consumption can yield many benefits to the communities living in

and around that place. Unlike most other forms of tourism, its benefits are varied and the synergies much higher as a result of active engagement of most components of the place including the artists, performers and all others who assume some stake or the other in the cultural production and identity of the place. When it comes to benefits, the producers (of culture) and providers of other services could be major beneficiaries, both directly and indirectly. This form of creative tourism could also play vital roles in the conservation of the cultural heritage.

Any country embodying rich and diverse cultural repositories stands to benefit from the fast emerging creative tourism segments. Instantaneous being India which boast of a cultural landscape of continental in nature with its innumerable ways of cultural expressions as manifested in the arts, dance, music, festivals, paintings etc. But such richness of the culture could not be translated in to sustainable economic propositions in a large part of the country as yet probably due to lack of focused policy and initiatives. For instance, initiatives to promoting rural tourism were put in motion more than a decade ago, and in the course, around seventy places were identified for development and promotion. But, not even handful of those could be turned in to successful cases but for want of infrastructural, institutional and promotional adequacy.

Perhaps the time is appropriate to embark on qualified policy framework and result-based initiatives so as to utilise the cultural endowments of the places for the benefit of the resident population and the country in general. Equally imperative is to strategise the resources, major being financial, to optimally benefit from the evolving tourism demand and patterns. The potential of creative economy is immense and its scope is promising in nature particularly to address many of the socio-economic challenges that the nations are encountering.

Culture is a sensitive but critical asset and equally a pride of its inheritors and custodians. Experiences so far stand to suggest that cultural authenticity and tourism consumption can co-exist and benefit mutually but challenges are many and varied especially its preservation. Creative tourism could be a viable means to serve duel purposes of wealth creation as well as protection of the ethnic and classical traditions of the places and societies. It is here the role of responsible tourism practices would emerge critical, especially in negotiating through probable facets of conflicts and confrontations. The academic research has an important stake especially in creating critical knowledge and that could be a focus area for academic interventions.

For Editorial Team

Dr. Sutheeshna Babu. S

Editor

International Journal of Tourism and TravelVolume 7, Issue 1 & 2, 2014,

1. Tourism Development Through Indigenous Art of Mithila: A study of Mithila painting (Madhubani Arts)

Devesh Nigam, Rajesh Ranjan 1-6

2. Analyzing Tourism Potential and Destination Image of Indian Silk Route: Trend Analysis Approach

Parikshat Singh Manhas, Parvinder Kour 7-13

3. Marketing World Heritage Sites: A Case Study of Product Rejuvenation and Promotion of World Heritage Sites in India

Kapil Kumar 14-22

4. Taj Group of Hotels as Brand Employer: A Selective Study of Students as Job Aspirants at Aligarh, India

Sheeba Hamid, Ataur Rahman Farooqi 23-30

5. Community Initiatives in Achieving Sustainability Through Inclusive Tourism Practices

Bhaswati Bhattacharya, Chandrima Ganguly 31-39

6. Employee Involvement as a Tool for Increasing Job Satisfaction in Hotel Industry-An Empirical Study

Shunali, Manik Arora, Suvidha Khanna 40-47

7. Coastal Tourism in Odisha and Its Impact on Beach Degradation Soumendra Nath Biswas 48-58

Journal is also available online at www.publishingindia.com

Tourism DevelopmenT Through inDigenous arT of miThila: a sTuDy of

miThila painTing (maDhubani arTs)Devesh Nigam*, Rajesh Ranjan**

Abstract Tourism enlarge everywhere due to its multi dimensional approaches, In the late 1960 Mithila art spread in this region as an economic resource for all segment of society, and emerge as source of livelihood generation. Now a day’s technology forces it for declination, but its diverse logical presentation attract elite segment of tourist and it is in developing situation. Present study tries to find various scopes of tourism development and its benefit to local indigenous artist who engage in Mithila paintings.

Keywords: Mithila Paintings, Tourism, Multidimensional, Socio-Cultural, Livelihood

inTroDucTion

Myths, rituals, spirituality, beliefs, magic and sorcery abound in paintings, drawings, songs and dance. The basis of Indigenous art is the Dreaming, when ancestral spirits came to the land and created rivers, plants, people, animals and tribal laws. Aboriginal rock art provides a fascinating glimpse into the religion, beliefs, economy and social activities of the Indigenous culture1. Artistic activity among all tribal cultures is an integral part of life. It has a well defined function socially, evolving from their interaction with nature and interpretation of its mysteries. It usually serves as a channel of communication with non-human forces, spiritual or otherwise2.

Tourism embraces virtually all aspects of our society. We have amalgam of tourism product, that develop through tourism and also tourism develop with the help of that product. Tourism will develop in all situations, where there no economic assistance is available. Tourism giving cause of development for areas like Mithila, where people travel for experiencing knowledge, culture, art, education etc.

The land of Mithila has been a major factor in the development of Indian philosophy, since ancient times. Mithila is an ancient cultural region of South Nepal and North India lying between the lower ranges of the Himalayas and the Ganges River. The Nepal border cuts across the top fringe of this

1 INDIGENOUS ART, http://www.westernaustralia.com/en/Things_to_See_and_Do/Outback_Adventure/Pages/Indig-enous_Art.aspx

2 Sarojanand Jha in Culture, Mithila, Mithila Painting, Access http://www.mithilatimes.com/30/the-age-old-tradition-of-maithili-paintings

region. The Gandak and Kosi Rivers are rough western and eastern boundaries of Mithila3.

The Ramayana records a dynastic marriage between Prince Rama of Ayodhya and Sita, the daughter of Raja Janak of Mithila.Mithila is known to all of us as the birthplace of Sita, wife of Rama. Another name for Sita is Mythili. But it may be less known that there is a whole school of painting known as Mithila or Madhubani painting.

Mithila, named after Sita or Mythili, has a matriarchal society. The painting is done entirely by women. Girls learn the art at a young age from their mothers and grandmothers with the idea that one day they would present their work to their husbands. The actual work of painting the walls of the nuptial chamber which the bride and groom share is a task in which all the women of the community take part.4

The geographical and cultural back ground of the traditional art of Painting as pursued in Mithila, in these words “There is a delightful rhythm in the sound of the word Madhubani ( meaning the forest of honey)” , a name to conjure with, in the history of Indian painting: beyond the trees, a fascinating landscape; green pigeons, parrots, cuckoos, quails, melodious red-and-black bulbuls, iridescent blue Nilakanthas spreading their wings in flight, that chedroofs of mud-houses which seem to have sprung out of the earth itself covered with the foliage of enormous squash vines- tall palms, majestic Bodhi and Pepal tress, rows of Sisam, sunlight sprinkled on them.

3 For more on the history of Mithila, see V. Mishra, Cultural Heritage of Mithila, Allahabad : Mithila Prakashan, 1979, 13.

4 Mishra, Cultural Heritage of Mithila, 234-240.

* Associate Professor, Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management, Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India. E-mail: [email protected]

** Independent Researcher, Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India. E-mail: [email protected]

Article can be accessed online at http://www.publishingindia.com

2 International Journal of Tourism and Travel Volume 7 Issue 1 & 2 2014

It is a land full of the beauty of landscape in sharp contrast to the ugliness of poverty in which its people, most of whom are talented painters live, and who accept their fate, good or bad, and paint for painting’s sake, putting at once an end to all about art for art’s sake. Main places in this region are Darbhanga, Madhubani, Jhanjharpur, Samastipur, Madhepura, Begusarai, Saharsa, Sitamarhi, Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Purbi Champaran, Paschim Champaran, Munger, Bhagalpur and Janakpur.

objecTive & research meThoDology

The objective of this research paper is to analyze the scope of tourism in the areas of Mithila painting. The research paper also tried to conclude influence of tourism that helps in betterment of social life. In this study, primary data was obtained by qualitative methods via conducting in-depth interviews of the Local artist also used snow-ball sampling to get idea about the sample using discussion and face to face interview. The interviews were semi-structured owing to the investigative nature of the research. It resulted in excessive data but it encouraged the interviewees to answer beyond the scope of the question thus, offering a greater reliability and credibility to the data procured.

The data which already available in books, documents (for example, published statistics and annual reports), journals, business periodicals, documentary films and news related to research areas, that will help as secondary source (Hussey and Hussey, 1997). The internet, another significant source of information has been used for conducting exhaustive research for Mithila painting and tourism since it is a relatively new concept initiated about 7-10 years ago.

Tradition of mithila painting

Art writing has aimed to romanticize the cultural setting of Mithila through appeal to the timelessness of its culture. It is said that the women have been painting like this for 3000 years, a date stretching back to the supposed writing of the Ramayana by Valmiki, and perhaps to a historical Rama and Sita. Both Valmiki’s original 3rd century BCE version of the Ramayana and Tulsidas’ 16th century version mention the beautifully painted city of Mithila. Of course there is no way to substantiate these assertions that contemporary Mithila art is a direct descendant of paintings mentioned in the Ramayana5.

5 Hinduism, one of the oldest religions of the world, represents an amalgam of different beliefs and practices. However, the religion of the Vedic period (mid 2nd- mid 1st millennium BC) still has the most predominant influence. The practice of life-cycle rites and rituals occupy a significant place in the life

This incredible three-thousand-year continuity has been possible because of a social organization based on the village community. Nostalgic references to village and extended family appeal to Indians and non-Indians alike, supported by photos showing women working in the fields, carrying bundles of grain and harvesting rice-activities almost no Brahman6 or Kayastha7 woman would do. In the cultural imaginary of international art appreciation, these villages are pastoral habitations around a pond, where social solidarity is reinforced by “village ceremonies and rituals” in which the wall art somehow figures. This romanticization of extended family and village life avoids mention of the critical unit of caste or jati8. This contrasts with another body of literature in which authors disdainfully write about the dominance of the Maithil Brahmans of North Bihar (e.g., Das 1992). Spiritual significance another power of the art, described in generalized terms: “Mithila painting is a product of communal spiritual experience…a manifestation of a collective mind, embodying millennia of traditional knowledge.” “Each painting is a prayer and an accompaniment to meditation.” “The artist ought not to work unless she is in a yogic state” (Mookerjee 1977).

economic influence

During the 1960-61 Monsoon Period Bihar state in eastern India experienced a serious drought resulting in a widespread scarcity of food. The state government launched relief projects to help the mainly illiterate population. These projects varied according to local customs and needs. The central idea, however, was to help people help themselves and enable them to become self-sufficient. Based on ideas from the Gandhian philosophy of promoting small village industries and total self-sufficiency, the Bihar government awarded Bombay-born artist Bhaskar Kulkarni a grant of Rs. 50,000 (about $2800) to launch a relief enterprise In search of a suitable project, Kulkarni traveled to various regions. In Jitwarpur, a village southeast of the city of Madhubani, the artist observed wall reliefs of utmost beauty made from mixtures of cow dung and mud. Many a wall became a narrative relief depicting Hindu religious festivals and folklore.

Recognizing the charm of these attempts, Kulkarni encouraged their creators, the village women, to execute their designs on paper. He used the grant funds to provide

of a Hindu – sacred thread ceremony and marriage being the most important.

6 Brahman- superior category of caste7 Kayastha- Traditionally known as elite class of caste8 Karna Kayasthas have been traditionally scribes or accoun-

tants. Mahapatra Brahmanas are one of the lowest ranking Brahmanas of Mithila.

Tourism Development through indigenous art of Mithila: A study of Mithila painting (Madhubani Arts) 3

the women with commercial colors, ink brushes, and other art supplies. They later translated these images to cloth as well. Kulkarni showed the women’s first designs at the government’s Industrial Exhibition in New Delhi in 1962, where they sold for between Rs. 5 and 10, or between 35 and 70 cents. After that various woman artist got lots of award for this painting known as Jagdamba Devi (1980), Sita Devi(1996), Mahasweta Devi (2002), etc, in present time every year government of Bihar giving award to best performing artist, also ministry of textile offer various funding scheme and incentives in this areas.

miThila painTing as Tourism proDucT

The tradition of Mithila painting originated from ‘Madhubani’, a tiny hamlet in North Bihar, and has been in existence for many centuries. This century old tradition practiced by the women of Madhubani and the surrounding area of Mithila became known to the world, thanks to a famine in the region, which prompted the All India Handicrafts Board to initiate steps to produce and market these paintings commercially. After that, there was no looking back and the paintings were much in demand. This boosted the local economy of the region. Following which, organizations like the National Folklore Support Center took steps to promote this ancient folk art.

Culture has always played an important role in socio-economic development of society. There is predefined co-relation between cultural heritage and tourism in India as well as all over world. This notion of cultural integration as a tool for tourism development has multiple impacts on different dimensions and stakeholders of society some of these developments can be seen as economic development, educational empowerment, better social awareness and many more. The development and continuing creativity of Mithila painting on paper is deeply rooted in an ancient cultural tradition and set of aesthetic styles and will only retain its vitality and identity if it continues to build upon and draw upon these roots. It has also been dependent upon interaction with a series of outsiders who have recognized its inherent strengths, interacted with the painters, encouraged various forms of innovation, and who have brought the paintings to the attention of larger and distant audiences.

Over the years these have included William and Mildred Archer in the 1930s to 1950s, Uppendra Maharati in the 1950s and 1970s, Baskhar Kulkarni in the 1960s, Pupil Jayakar in the 1960s and 1970s, Erica Moser and Yves Vequaud in the 1970s, Raymond and Naomi Owens in the 1970s and 1980s, and Ray Owens again in 2000, Mary Lanius in the 1980s, Jyotindra Jain and Tokio Hasegawa since the 1980s, and Raymond Owens, Ethnic Arts Foundation (especially Joe Elder, Parmeshwar Jha, and David Szanton) from the

1980s to the present. They all are work on development of this indigenous art in world level and many of them done voluntary research in this issues. But till now they are struggling to bring changes in policy levels as well as trying to create same attention from tourism professional and participator.

scope with rural/village Tourism

Madhubani town (Jitwarpur, Ranti, Harinagar, Lahriagange, Rashidpur, Ramnagar, Mangarauni, and Rampatti) touching these entire rural village, which known as the center of Mithila painting. Personal visit to these place enabled to understand that village and the communities are struggling to survive their life with painting. People involved in this art are very cooperative and interested in development of tourism, they already offering complementary gusting facilities for art lover also shown their keen interest in development of rural and village tourism.

Cultural harmony among the various caste is very high, they voluntarily offer training for art lover without identification of their caste and category. People and NGOs also trying to establish village and rural tourism scope in this region, but due to lack of government interest on development of Mithila painting and tourism, it is struggling within the conceptual frame.

The painting tradition has nevertheless continuously expanded in its themes and subject matter both as an inevitable consequence of on-going changes and development in local and national Indian society and as a result of its external interactions. This is not limited in caste boundaries, now a day this also getting popularity among marginalized and poor section as way of generating livelihood this painting.

Bihar is center for Buddhists pilgrims, apart from this Mithila painting also creating interest among international as well as domestic tourist. According to ministry of tourism, tourist traffic statistics, 2005, Madhubani receive 18813(1.24%) of domestic tourist who stay overnight in accommodation units. Foreign tourist overnight stay in accommodation unit in 2005 had been 279(0.44%) of total foreign tourist arrival in Bihar. Statistics shows that 34442(1.01%) day tourist visited Madhubani in 2005.

mithila painting- World attraction

Ironically, while there has been little recent interest in Mithila painting in India, it is becoming well known and much appreciated in other parts of the world. There have been numerous exhibitions of Mithila paintings either alone or with other Indian art forms in the US, France, Germany, Switzerland. Exhibitions have been regularly organized by Tokyo Hasegawa in Japan. These exhibitions often result


in sales of paintings and the production of an illustrated catalogue. Aside from the Mithila Museum in Japan, there are now large collections of Mithila paintings and photos of paintings from the 1930s and 1940s from the Richard and Mildred Archer in the British Library in San Francisco. Asian Art Museum, the Berkeley Art Museum, the Oberlin University Museum, the Syracuse University Library, the University of Florida Museum, Heidelberg University, and no doubt others also showing Mithila painting in their art gallery.

Apart from Jyotindra Jain various research and articles, many other literature has been written by the many researcher about the contribution of famous artisan of Mithila Paintings. The numbers of other books and articles about the painting tradition has published across world. One the most promising recent doctoral dissertation by Mani Shekhar Singh, “Folk Art, Identity and Performance: A Sociological Study of Maithil Painting”. However, the most of the publications and catalogues are coming from outside India. There are also several videos about various aspects of the tradition that have been made by French, US, Japanese, and UNESCO film makers.

case sTuDy

For further clarification about the tourism development in Mithila, research had conducted in some part of Mithila region. Interaction with few actively involved artists and personal observation has given insights in to various issues of this sector. Subsequently, with the help of unstructured questionnaire, interviews with some selected respondents who were having over fifty years of experience in Mithila painting were conducted. During the course of field visit, it was also tried to find out the involvement of men in painting work and their view about the social cultural and economic advancement of artist, and also their view about tourism development through Mithila paintings.

Four respondents were selected on the basis of diverse thoughts and their availability. Among these, one from textile department officially taking care of the work related to the Mithila painting in Madhubani district. The second and third were state award holder and they were also receiving benefits such as medical assistance and pension from the state government. The last one belonged to Dalit community engaged in this profession since 50 years but still waiting for any governmental supports.

respondent-1: from Textile Department

Data collection was started in November 2012, where the main aim was to identify same artist who engage in Mithila painting. In this series of study the first visit made

by researcher to office of textile ministry in Madhubani, where researcher met with the Respondent, who is working there, and also counted as known artist of mithila paintings. According to him Mithila painting have age-old history, since 3k-4k BC it performed by the house women in Mithila for getting blessing by the god and goddess. ‘Aripan’ and ‘Kohbar’ is age old practice9 performed by the kayastha women and after that Brahman women, in the time immense ‘aripan’ done by the women with the mixture of rice in Angana(Laune). Also ‘Kohabar’ is an elaborate painting on the walls of the kohabar ghar (wedding chamber) where the bride and the groom have spending their first four nights after the wedding ceremony.

Within the painting they are trying to capture baans (bamboo) and purain (lotus plant) is surrounded by different painted images such as fish, tortoise, the sun, the moon, bride in a palanquin, grass mats and a scene of worship of Gauri (another name of popular goddess Parvati). After the involvement of monetary benefit it becomes commercialized and we can say that the authenticity of this painting is commercialized. We can’t say that the tradition is collapsed but it become diversified, tradition become part of income. He said that government trying to preserved and glorify this painting with providing various training programs and livelihood generating scheme through Mithila paintings. Presently 40000 artists enrolled in Madhubani textile office and 20000 only from Mithila painting.

He said that now it is not limited on these two castes, it spread its legs with including all caste and communities of Mithila. Every caste is now using their own traditional ethics and stories like harijan using “Raja Salhesh” and other goddess in their paintings which is creating attention from tourist as well as painting lovers, because now they have more option in front of them. Now it is not limited to Kayastha and Brahman painter.

Upon probing about tourism involvement in these areas, it was reported that Mithila painting also benefited by the tourist; we are receiving regular foreign tourist customers more than the domestics. I have taken signature from foreign visitor, some of them came to purchase, some of them for sight seen and used rural tourism concept in their tours. They use to stay with village people to see and learn about Mithila painting as well as culture and tradition.

9 Kohabar is an elaborate painting on the walls of the kohabar ghar (wedding chamber) where the bride and the bridegroom spend their first four nights after the wedding ceremony. The central motif comprising mainly of baans (bamboo) and purain (lotus plant) is surrounded by different painted images Such as fish, tortoise, the sun, the moon, bride in a palanquin, grass mats and a scene of worship of Gauri (another name of popular goddess Parvati).

Tourism Development through indigenous art of Mithila: A study of Mithila painting (Madhubani Arts) 5

respondent- 2: state award holder

To gather data, interview with the owner of Dyodhi was carried out in November. Researcher knew them from long time. According to her, she learns Mithila painting from her mother-in-low and since 30 year, she is doing Mithila painting. Caste, where she belongs is ‘souet’ that is higher than Maithil Brahmin and also ruled in this area during the time of Darbhanga Maharaj. She has personal contact to various foreigners who are buying her painting since 30 years. She is also providing voluntary training to same domestic as well as foreigner tourist. She got various state and central government award and certificates. She is running NGO, which is working in development of Mithila painting in rural areas of Madhubani and Darbhanga districts.

According to Respondent, Mithila painting is not an art for people of Mithila, it is their culture and tradition. If any women and men of Mithila will try to make Mithila painting, they will make it without spending much affords because they have exact idea about our tradition, and culture. Now days Mithila painting spread in all over India, you will found various training and painting center across India. It was also told about tourism involvement in Mithila painting, for; it is already a part and product of tourism. Tourist has been coming from various countries to Mithila to see painting as well for their researches on it. We also benefited from tourism, because we have a product, if tourism will completely develop in these areas that mean we will sale our product direct to the tourist. The other people will also get benefit from this. But due to government unawareness we are not getting full benefits from tourism, but we are trying to promote Mithila painting as tourism product.

respondent-3: from Dalit community

We met with one of the very old Dalit painter, who said that it was my blind interest which is why I have learned this art. In those days it was not for men as well as for dalit people. I learned it because I know that I will do this only and it will be my only source of livelihood. He breaks mythology about this painting about its limit to women. Currently he is about 65 years and he still making painting but due to physical instability he is doing it an unregularized way. According to him, they learn it in 1962 when Jagdamba Devi and Sita Devi doing this painting in training camp that funded by the administrative Officer Kulkarni. He had looked from window of that room with his friend Gopal Shahu, because that time it is not for men and its social parameter was reserved between two castes of Kayastha and Brahmins. Both were highly interested in this painting, hence they decided to learn this in any way. They had to face many social problems for learning the art. Since then, it is the main source of income for them.

According to him, they visited various place as trainers and performers and got various prizes but due to lack of economic resources, they is not benefited more in comparison of other artists, but still, they are interested to train those interested in Mithila painting. He was of the view that if tourism will be developed in this region, it will benefit to the poor people like including self since they hardly have other economic options.

respondent-4: state award holder

We met this respondent; it was astonished to learn that he is an Award winning artist and pensioner from the ministry of textile but has to live a betel shop vendor since he does not have any other viable income option. According to him, this is big question among government that in which way they are deciding pension for Mithila painter. In every sector, pension is decided on the basis of age but here is not. He am getting pension because he is an award winner and Faguni (Respondent-3) is not getting pension because he is not award winner. Due to health problems, he is not capable to do painting that’s why ge open this betel shop.

According to him, Mithila painting giving me better leaving facilities, as a handicapped person I am not able to do other work in that time, but due to this painting various national and international people knows me, various research scholar and tourist want to meet me. If governments make good policy for us, then we will make a social example in front of world.

About tourism development, he told that if tourism will develop and government will make good tourism policy with tourism circuit in this area then we automatically going to develop on self with the help of this indigenous art form. If government not interested in tourism planning, then make planning for proper development of Mithila painting, tourism will automatically develop with Mithila painting development.

analysis

Above case studies enlighten various cons and pros of Mithila painting and the role that it can play towards tourism development. Since last fifty years, government is trying to develop this art, but due to orthodoxy, politics and caste conflict, that is not happening. Black market and involvement of brokers are also posing many challenges to the artists and they have no direct contact with the customer. Customers also have the same problem as they do not know much about the artists but many of them know the famous artists, but sadly, these artists act as brokers between the craft-men and the customers. Government has no separate policy for promotion of this art and that is a major bottleneck for them


in marketing their artwork. The artists are also expecting the support from the Government towards the health and financial security since many artists also suffer from occupational hazards such as eye weakness and arthritis.

The lack of government support mechanism for health care and pension are indeed discouraging the youngsters to take up this as profession. Encouragingly, the artist and the local people are optimistic about the potential of Mithila painting for the development of tourism in this area. In addition to Mithila painting, other art and craft forms like ‘Applic’ and ‘Sikki’ are equally popular in India and other parts of the world. Other stakeholders hailing from this area also hold that it has tremendous capability for development but the major issue is proper lack of support mechanisms, mainly economic. The region is also prone to natural disaster flood and drought and the economic loss on account of this is huge every year. The Mithila painting can therefore be a key alternative economic support to the local communities and their livelihood.

conclusion

Art is integral part of the Mithila society and the painting work is carried over generations by the people of Mithila. However, this tradition is under great stress these days but still continuing on account of two reasons. Firstly, there still many who take considerable interest in its protection. Secondly, for many families, it is an option of employment and a bread winner. There is great interest among the local people for taking this tradition forward but they face many constraints by way of lack of capital for investment, market exploration and life security. The glorious history and heritage will help promotion of Mithila as well as Mithila paintings besides contributing towards social mobility and a livelihood options.

Mithila had long been famous in India and it nurtured a rich culture and numerous poets, scholars, and theologians. As far as women were concerned, it has been a deeply conservative society until painting on paper began over forty years ago. Most women were confined to their homes and limited to household chores, child rearing, managing family rituals, and ritual wall painting then. Painting on paper for sale has changed this dramatically. Besides acting as a major source of household income, it also gave local, national, and even international recognition to many women. These artists are invited to exhibitions across India and to Europe, the United States, and Japan. They are no longer the ‘folk artists’; instead, they gained the status of ‘contemporary artists’. To sum up, Mithila painting has demonstrated extraordinary vitality and it is a vibrant and aesthetically powerful tradition. It needs to be nurtured and by doing so, it would serve not only conserving the tradition but it also enhance the potential and contribute towards promotion tourism in Mithila region.

reference

Anand, M. R. (1984). Madhubani Painting. New Delhi. Archer, M. (1977). Indian popular paintings in the india of-

fice library. New Delhi. UBS Publishers.Archer, M. (1966). Domestic Arts of Mithila: Notes on

Painting. Marg, 20(1), 47-52.Archer, W. G. (1949). Maithil Painting. Marg, 3(3), 24-33.Brown, C. H. (1982). Folk Art and the Art of Books: Who

Speaks for the Traditional Artist? Review of .The Art of Mithila,. by Yves Vequaud. Modern Asian Studies, 16(3), 519-522.

Chavda, J. J. (1990). The narrative paintings of India’s jit-warpuri women. Woman’s Art Journal, Spring Summer, 11(1), 25-28.

Hussey, J., & Hussey, R. (1997). Business research: A prac-tical guide for undergraduate and postgraduate students. London, Macmillan.

Hasegawa, T. (Nd.). Cosmology of Prayer. In Japanese. 42 illustrations in color, and 43 in black and white of paint-ings in the collection of the Mithila Museum. Mithila Museum.

Hiatt, S. (1997). Baua Devi and the Art of Mithila. India Currents. p.34 .

In Indian Painting: Essays in Honor of Karl J. Khandalavala. Edited by B.N. Goswamy and Usha Bhatia. Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi. p 207-22

Jain, J. (1997). Ganga Devi: Tradition and expression in mithila painting.

Jayakar, P. (1975). Paintings of rural India. The Times of India Annual, 53-62

Jha, R. (n.d.). Mithila painting, in lessor known forms of per-forming Arts in India. Edited by Durga Das

Jha, V., & Basak. P. K. (1994). Ethnobotanical aspects of mithil painting. Ethnobotany, 6, 9-18.

Lanius, M. ( 198??). Mithila Painting. In Making Things in South Asia: The role of artists and craftsmen. Edited by Michael W. Meister. Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania

Mathur, J. C. (1996). The Domestic Arts of Mithila. Marg, 20(1), 43-46.

Ethnic Arts Foundation.Singh, M. S. (1999). Folk art, identity and performance: A

sociological study of Maithil painting.Thukur, U. (1982). Madhubani painting. Delhi, Upkar Press.

Abhinav Publications.Vequaud, Y. (1977). Women painters of Mithila. London.

Thames and Hudson.

ANALYZING TOURISM POTENTIAL AND DESTINATION IMAGE OF INDIAN SILK ROUTE: TREND ANALYSIS APPROACH

Parikshat Singh Manhas*, Parvinder Kour**

Abstract Purpose: Analyzing the competitiveness of Silk Route in tourism industry involves a contemporary approach as it is among the tagline that connects the nations like India, China, Pakistan, etc. Also analysis of the tourists’ considerations towards Indian Silk Route that connect India to other countries could help to develop its in various forms and creating an image among tourists destination’s list and choice, thus contributing to the formation of an integrity of the nations as well. Hence this research paper aims to study the present status of Indian Silk Route destinations in terms of tourism competitiveness and to develop its image as a tourist circuit in consideration to tourists visiting Silk Route destinations in India.

Research Methodology: The main data collection method of this study is primary research supported by secondary research by making use of existing online sources. In addition to this to calculate or forecast the tourist arrivals on the basis of past data available, the Least Square Method of time series is applied.

Findings: The analyzed data shows that if the induced destinations of Silk Route in Indian subcontinent are raised to the level of competitiveness and analyzed at the tourism front, may have an immense potential to attract the tourists to India.

Limitations: The area for the research purpose is limited fewer destinations as U.P and Bihar as for the further study area/areas could be increased and various other methodologies may be applied..

Keywords: Silk Route, Destination image, Cultural Exchange, Integrity.

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

The Silk Route has played the role of a bridge between Asia and Europe, thus allocating a fundamental link for exchanging cultures, crafts, ideas, technologies, and beliefs. Silk Route has served as a confluence of civilizations and the reopening of this old route will make Jammu and Kashmir a favorite spot for tourism. The major roads that connect Jammu and Kashmir with rest of the world are Jammu-Sialkot, Poonch-Rawalkot, Uri-Muzafarabad, Kargil-Skardu, Leh-Mansarovar and Leh-Yarkand, stretching towards Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Sikkim. History has also revealed that these routes contributed greatly to economy, cultural and political development of Jammu and Kashmir and other Indian destinations as it is known for their historical and cultural contacts with outside regions of Central Asia, Xinjiang and Tibet.

The relative image of all these destinations is still an unknown part or politically controversial for the tourists, that had once remained a source for trade and in other form a cause for the tourism activity. The concept of destination

image helps in making a tourism market share and same can be applicable to the Silk Route. Ramazan Aksoy & Şule Kiyci (2011) has supported that destinations with strong infrastructures, sufficient investments, positive images and different products gain much more shares from the market. In other words destination image plays a prominent role in this process and thus effects on destination choice and decisions of tourists. Thus, image becomes one of the main assets of a tourist destination and one which has the most influence on the decision taken by tourists when choosing a destination (Sérgio Dominique Ferreira Lopes, 2011). The image formation of Silk Route in the tourism concept needs to be appreciated as a heritage or historical route. However the concept of heritage routes is termed to be a rich and fertile one, offering a privileged framework in which mutual understanding, a plural approach to history and a culture of peace is significant.

As a semantic affair to image formation in modern tourism industry Silk Route concept needs to be understood for the tourists as well as for community and stake holders. The image that potential tourists have about that destination is the main factor which determines the future of that destination.

* Director, School of Hospitality & Tourism Management (SHTM), Professor, The Business School (TBS), Associate Dean (SW), University of Jammu, J&K, India. E-mail: [email protected]

** PhD Research Scholar, School of Hospitality and Tourism Management (SHTM), University of Jammu (J&K)-180006 E-mail: [email protected]



According to Buhalis (2000) partnership between the public and private sector, co-operation between all local suppliers and use of new technologies and the Internet are among the key success factors of a tourism destination.

Understanding the image formation process may help to improve the attractiveness and market competitiveness of tourist destinations (Yoon & Kim, 2000). The formation of Silk Route as a unique travel circuit in India would acknowledge the induced destinations in India other than their usual travel recognitions.

OBjECTIvES

1. To analyze the present status and image of the destinations along Silk Route in India and

2. To understand their future prospects in terms of tourism in special reference to Silk Route destinations in India.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

India has always been known to the tourism world for its beauty and unique tourism properties but its contribution to Silk Route is still unknown to the tourist. As referred to the tourists by the Destination Management organizations, Indian subcontinent has been branded as a ‘must see destination’ all over the world, but its significance to the Silk Route connection remains dormant in tourism even in this booming times. So the study aims at rediscovering and imaging the tourism resources and potentialities of induced destinations of Silk Route in India. The study also intends to identify and highlight the problem areas in the tourism development in the region. Any positive result in this direction derived from this research can be anticipated to contribute a lot not only to the destination promotion and creating the image among tourists in addition to the economic wellbeing of the local residents of destinations but to the entire economy of the nation.

SCOPE AND COvERAGE

This study aims to describe the present status and image of the induced destinations of Silk route in India. This study also intends to study and measure the tourism potential of the destinations along with the services that are available along these destinations but have not been highlighted with the tagline of Silk Route as these are somehow remained a part of such historical aspect.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

The understanding of this process is viable to reposition unfavorable destinations and improve higher demand and supply of repeat visits with the intention to make

profit (Mazlina Jamaludin et. al, 2012). The importance of a favorable image for a destination to attract tourists is undoubtedly of highest value as a positive image has more chance to be considered in the destination selection process than a negative image (Beerli, 2004). In terms of Silk Route which has become an unknown part to the world tourists, developing a strong image of Silk Route in India as tourist circuit is a crucial part as tourism industry itself at a growing stage. Considering touristic destinations, it is possible to define image as the facts such as shape, slogan, picture or writing which includes every kind of facilities that are attractive for a country’s or a region’s tourism; that makes an impression in target people’s mind. In other words, image is a view of picture that attracts the visitors to the country and makes them spend much more money there (Sahbaz, 2008). But the change in trade and travel trends has faded the image of Silk Route among the tourists’ and traders priority list. A due consideration towards the tourism development along the Silk Route especially in Indian sub continent may help to revitalize its importance and hence add on the to the tourism destination typology.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The main data collection method of this study is primary research supported by secondary research by making use of existing online sources. Secondary research consisted use of academic journals and reports from Indian Tourism Department. Primary research was conducted to capture better understanding of the current perception of destination image of Silk Route Destinations.

In addition to this in order to calculate or forecast the tourist arrivals on the basis of past data available, the Least Square Method of time series is applied.

Then on the basis of that data the potential of services and facilities at a destination is analyzed.

ASPECTS OF SILK ROAD REvITALIZATION THROUGH DESTINATION IMAGE

A good image and a positive reputation are probably the most valuable assets that a country possess. Researchers has identified the prospects of destination image and evaluated various approaches. According to Gartner (1993) destination image becomes an important component of destination selection as soon as an individual decides to travel. Only destinations which the decision making body is aware of will be included in the perceived opportunity set. Awareness implies than an image of the destination exists in the mind(s) of the decision makers. Henderson (2007) has also supported that destination image is multidimensional,

Analyzing Tourism Potential and Destination Image of Indian Silk Route: Trend Analysis Approach 9

with cognitive and affective elements; it is a mix of information, feelings, beliefs, opinions, ideas, expectations and perceptions about a certain place.

The Silk Route may be redundant but remnants of this route still exist in the valley of Kashmir and the arid desert of Ladakh, a testimonial of the times gone by but has lost its image as well as importance in terms of tourism as well as trade and need to be defined for its existence in the industry. Considering touristic destinations, it is possible to define image as the facts such as shape, slogan, picture or writing which includes every kind of facilities that are attractive for a country’s or a region’s tourism; which makes an impression in target people’s mind. In other words, image is a view of picture that attracts the visitors to the country and makes them spend much more money there (Şahbaz, 2008). Images are more important than tangible resources, all because perceptions, rather than reality are what motivate consumers to act or not act (Guthrie and Gale, 1991). According to Suzan Çoban (2012) a positive destination image and satisfaction, is the basis for tourist’ visits all over again. If a destination that provides accommodation for the faithful tourists who repeat periodically, it will provide employment opportunities and economic benefits to its citizens. It will also contribute to form a solid foundation in the long-term development of the region. And that can be obtained in terms of Indian Silk Route destinations.

The expert committee on ‘Routes as a Part of our Cultural Heritage’ which met at Madrid, Spain, November 1994 has defined that “A heritage route is composed of tangible elements of which the cultural significance comes from exchanges and a multi-dimensional dialogue across countries or regions, and that illustrate the interaction of movement, along the route, in space and time.” The Silk Road did not only promote commodity exchange but also cultural. For example, Buddhism as one of the religions of the Kushan kingdom reached China as well as India. Together with merchant caravans Buddhist monks went from India to Central Asia and China, preaching the new religion. Buddhist monuments were discovered in numerous cities along the Silk Road in India.

Moreover, during the General Assembly of ICOMOS, that took place in December 2002 in Spain, the recommendation was put forward that Cultural Routes are independent from Cultural Landscapes both in concept and substance. In this context, the following points should be considered when determining whether a heritage route is suitable for inscription on the World Heritage List:

(i) The requirement to hold outstanding universal value should be recalled.

(ii) The concept of heritage routes: ∑ is based on the dynamics of movement and the idea of

exchanges, with continuity in space and time;

∑ refers to a whole, where the route has a worth over and above the sum of the elements making it up and through which it gains its cultural significance;

∑ highlights exchange and dialogue between countries or between regions;

∑ is multi-dimensional, with different aspects developing and adding to its prime purpose which may be religious, commercial, administrative or otherwise.

(iii) A heritage route may be considered as a specific, dynamic type of cultural landscape, just as recent debates have led to their acceptance within the Operational Guidelines.

(iv) The identification of a heritage route is based on a collection of strengths and tangible elements, testimony to the significance of the route itself.

(v) The conditions of authenticity are to be applied on the grounds of its significance and other elements making up the heritage route. It will take into account the duration of the route, and perhaps how often it is used nowadays, as well as the legitimate wishes for development of peoples affected.

This statement stands realistic to the Silk route that follows Jammu and Kashmir State, Uttar Pardesh, Bihar and Sikkim and has remained a part of historical trade route connecting and making the northern most state of Indian subcontinent to rest of the world.

Destinations involved and their present images

A well known Chinese Buddhist scholar and translator, Hieun Tsiang (c. 602 – 664), was in Lumbini in 637, before he was heading to Kushinagar, the place where Buddha passed away, and to Sarnath in present India, where he had given his first sermon (Bernstein 2001, Wriggins 2004). This way was linking Varanasi and Bodhgaya in India with Kapilvastu, Lumbini, Bhutwal and Ridi in Central Nepal, leading further through the Mustang region in Nepal to West Tibet and the Brahmaputra valley, continuing from there to Khotan as well to Kashgar, partly via Ladakh (Heide, 2012). Recently more evidences have been found that in ancient times three passages through Nepal presumably have linked the Silk Roads with the Gangetic plains, especially with the Buddhist holy places and great Buddhist Universities of India particularly in the area of Magadha, today being part of the present State of Bihar with its capital Patna, formerly Pataliputra (Heide, 2012). Further it extends to meet at Yu-men-kuan or the Jade Gate near Tun-hueng before entering the Chinese mainland. Moreover from early times, the Indian sub-continent was connected to the Grand Silk Route through a network of sub-routes criss-crossing “Greater Kashmir” or what presently constitutes Jammu and Kashmir in India and Azad Jammu Kashmir in Pakistan (Kaw, 2009) thus, forming an elongated and interwoven network.


Many of these sites like Bodhgaya, Sarnath, Lumbini, Kushinagar has been developed by the ministry of Tourism in India as a major Buddhist pilgrimage circuit. But its ultimate connectivity to the early history of Silk Route needs a due evaluation and recognition. Furthermore the eventual crisis of 1947 in Jammu and Kashmir and subsequent closure of the Silk Route brought an end to its golden era. The business activities continued to some extent for two more years when the historic route was finally closed. Also as a consequence of 1962 war between India and China, the other trade links via Leh and Tibet were also shut. There are number of locations that are untapped and can be developed as major tourist destinations, having the entire natural as well as the cultural resources for attracting tourists as the procedure of negligence towards all these destinations the central Asian trade links with India through Jammu and Kashmir towards Sikkim and other induced destinations has lost their identity.

Potential of tourist arrivals in Kashmir and its forecasts

In a report submitted to Ministry of tourism and Government of India in 2012, ILFS (Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services) has analyzed the tourism potential and increase in tourism trend by the Buddhists’ destinations at Uttar Pradesh till 2008 ( Refer to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2). These estimates (Figure 1 and 2) indicate that Kushinagar, Sarnath, Gaya (Bodhgaya) and Rajgir are the key destinations that have registered huge number of tourist inflows (both domestic and foreign) (ILFS, 2012). On the other hand, the sites as Kapilvastu, Sravasti, Sankisa and Vaishali are also potential destinations that can be developed as key tourism sites due to their increasing tourist inflows. Furthermore analyzing above given data in totality (Table 1) for the future tourism potential of these destinations as a circuit may serve to be positive track towards the development process altogether, i.e. Sarnath, Kushinagar, Kapilavastu, Saravasti, Sankisa,

Gaya, Bodhgaya, Rajgir & Vaishali. (Take in Table I)

As all these above discussed destinations are a part of Silk Route their tourism arrival along the circuit is forecasted for the year 2014 using the least square method Time series “T- Factor” is applied (Take in Table II).As Sy = na + bSx, a = Sy/n, 16893380/4 = 4223345 Also Sxy = aSx + bSx b = Sxy/Sx2, 249651937/20 = 12482596.85Hence y = (2014) = 4223345+ (12482596.85) (15) = 250589127.75

The above given interpretation to the tourist arrival gives a brief idea about the tourists’ arrivals at Buddhist circuit of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar that falls in the Silk Route map. In order to calculate the trend value (Y^) for a particular year 2014, the value of “a” and “b” is needed, which is calculated after applying the above statistical formulas like Summation of x and xy. It has been seen that the services and facilities available at this region, posses the potential of serving 250589127.75, thus indicating the tourism potential to be gained by the destinations.

FINDINGS

The above given interpretation to the tourist arrival gives a brief idea about the tourists’ arrivals at various destinations that falls in the Silk Route map. In order to calculate the trend value (Y^) for a particular year 2014, the value of “a” and “b” is needed, which is calculated after applying the above statistical formulas like summation of x and xy. It has been seen that the services and facilities available at this region, posses the potential of serving 250589127.75 tourists in the same year that all are confined to the interest of tourists towards nature tourism, adventure tourism and other but not to those particular destinations that are a part of

MAP: Silk Route Connectivity and India’s Contribution

(Source: http://isikkim.com/2011-06-south-asia-china-india-and-silk-route-066/)


Silk Route and could be an additional source of attraction to the tourists in the coming years if developed and maintained to their authentication. The development of the induced destination(s) of Silk Route could serve as a compliment to Indian tourism and trade industry. The restitution of the traditional Ladakh Route may also serve the security goals of India and China (Mushtaq A. Kaw, 2009). Thus, to become a successful and competitive tourism destination, all destinations must strategically promote specific location endowments that distinguish one place from another. In this regard, tourism experts, tour operators, and travel agents, in addition to independent travelers, acquire knowledge and awareness (Binns and Nel 2002; Kim and Perdue 2011). Analysis of tourism potential at the silk route destinations may not only promote the related or induced destination but

may also serve in raising the development graph by the direct or indirect economy generation through tourism. Therefore, while developed destinations require updated and renewed facilities, these potential destinations will require more attention in terms of basic tourist facilities and promotional aspects. More particularly they need to be marketed as Silk Route destinations, which have been a major aspect of their existence. Analysis of tourism potential at the Silk Route destinations may not only promote the related or induced destination but also serve in raising the development graph by the direct or indirect economy generation through tourism.

Also Archaeology Survey of India (2010) has identified and enlisted twelve different sites as Silk Route properties at various Indian destinations making a stretch from Ladakh to Sikkim and hence connecting China. All these sites

Figure 1: Tourist arrival trends in Buddhist destinations, Uttar Pradesh

Figure 2: Tourist arrival trends in Buddhist destinations, Bihar

Table I: Total no. of Tourists’ arrival at Buddhist destinations of U.P and Bihar

Years No of tourist arrivals Deviations from 2006.5 x xy x2 y^= a+bx2005 104337 -1.5 -3 -313011 9 -33224445.52006 3975660 -0.5 -1 -3975660 1 -8259251.82007 4906276 0.5 1 4906276 1 16705841.82008 8011444 1.5 3 24034332 9 41671135.5TOTAL 16893380 249651937 20

2014(forecasted figure) 250589127.75 (obtained after applying the least square method of time series for calculating the trend)


have a potential to be established as historical, pilgrimage destinations as well as alternate or sustainable tourism that needs to be assessed and analyzed properly.

Conclusion and Suggestions

The changing scenario and emergence of new concepts in tourism industry increases the competition level among destinations and hence makes the existence of the new and emerging destinations difficult. In context to Silk route that has the historical as well as the cultural significance is an unknown part to the tourists instead it could be a part of integrity it given due consideration through tourism. Furthermore, for destination stakeholders it also constitutes an important factor for achieving the success of destination attractiveness (Nelson Matos et al, 2012). No doubt these destinations are somehow on local tourists’ approach but their origin and basic concept is still anonymous to them. Not only this, reopening of as a complete travel circuit in destinations as Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarpradesh, etc. could increase the tourist to large extent and also helps in the development of these destinations in terms of cultural, historical as well as the MICE, that has lost their identity that had once been a part of the trade, cultural and civilization exchange as inconsideration with services and facilities available at the above destinations can cater to the respective tourists. The re-opening of traditional trade routes would help reconcile the diverse interests of the traditional Silk Route partners and help restore free trade and human mobility as well as cross-cultural and ideological fertilization (Mushtaq A. Kaw, 2009). The need for the recommendations for the development of the tourist circuit should be levied on the following point: 1. Develop awareness among tourists’ as well as tour

operators about the Indian Silk Route destinations. 2. Development of various tourist amenities at these

destinations so as to make them available to tourists. 3. Restoration of these destinations that are almost at the

stage of extinction is also a foremost important. 4. Silk Route destinations should also be included in

the tourists’ itinerary along with other prominent destination.

5. Strategic framework should be provided in order to measure and develop capacity building approach to these destinations.

6. Also there is a requirement of infrastructure like transportation and accommodation facilities development at above referred destinations

LIMITATIONS

As various other research studies, the current study has some theoretical and methodological limitations. First, the research was carried out in some of the destinations related to Silk Route as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. And therefore the findings are geographically bound and are likely to have limited application to other destinations, regions. Second, the methodological approach of trend analysis has been applied and for the further studies other research techniques could also be applied. Apart of these limitations, it is hoped that this study will stimulate further research on Silk Route destinations in terms of image building in the tourism sector to provide valuable insights for both academics and practitioners for studying and identifying the alternate tourism prospects in the state.

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Table II: Application of the least square method of time series for calculating the trend

Years Total no. of Tourist Arrivals

2005 10 4337

2006 39756602007 49062762008 8011444

Source: ILFS Infrastructure, Report on Identification of Tourism Circuits across India


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MARKETING WORLD HERITAGE SITES: A CASE STUDY OF PRODUCT

REJUVENATION AND PROMOTION OF WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN INDIA

Kapil Kumar*

Abstract Practically, every nation packages its history and heritage as a tourism product to attract international tourists and simultaneously adopts promotional strategies. The UNESCO’s policy of declaring certain historical sites as World Heritage Sites has not only helped in the conservation of local history and monuments but has provided a major boost to promote such sites as something unique and special whose importance is reflected because of the site being declared as World Heritage Site. A prominent feature of this policy has been the achievement of worldwide prominence for local and national sites. India, with its extremely rich History and Culture, today has 29 World Heritage Sites whereas many more remain in the queue for achieving that status. All these sites have been major tourist attractions for both domestic as well as international tourism and in many cases even before they were given the World Heritage status.

This paper attempts to analyse the aspects related to product rejuvenation for these sites in terms of their marketing and promotional strategies. It also discusses the threats and obstacles faced in the promotion of these sites with emphasis on international marketing. It was also attempted to compare between the cities of Agra and Delhi, with the former having the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and nearby Fatehpur Sikri while the later having the Red Fort, Qutab Minar and Humayun Tomb. It is expected that the SWOT analysis carried out in this paper will be beneficial for all players in the heritage tourism sector, i.e., the local communities, tourists, national governments and segments of the tourism industry.

The author is the Chairperson, Faculty of History, Indira Gandhi National Open University New Delhi, India. Formerly, he was also the Programme Co-ordinator for Tourism and Hospitality Programmes and Research.

Keywords: Mindful Locals, Heritage Awareness, Augmented Product, Core Attraction, Host Attitudes

History and heritage continue to be the strongest pull factors in tourism in spite of its rapid growth into other interest areas. The increased visitation to heritage sites threw up new challenges with many more areas being identified in relation to their management, conservation and marketing. Continuity in this has resulted in the emergence of a huge corpus of research based literature which addresses the problematic areas. The initial researches laid emphasis on conservation and management of heritage sites dealing with problems like lack of funds, developmental and environmental pressures – issues which universally affected the heritage sites worldover (Timothy (ed.) 2007).The conversion of indigenous heritage as a tourism product for revenue generation introduced the marketing concepts resulting in increased number of visitations and heritage businesses. Thus, the areas of heritage management also expanded.

Product designing, branding and promotions, selecting target markets, visitors’ experiences, attitude of host population, heritage awareness and a host of other issues like entry of private players, participatory decision-making, etc. emerged

as new themes for operations and research. With increasing number of stakeholders in the heritage-tourism business – the initiative is being taken away from the locals. Heritage showcasing is no more confined to the Seven Wonders of the World as the tourists are out to experience the remotest exotic cultures. It was under this transformative stage that the UNESCO came out with the concept of WHS and provided special guidelines for them. This added a new dimension in their management with each country aspiring for more of its heritage sites added in the list. In fact, a new heritage brand had been created for the globe totter.

It has been suggested that this “new perspective” of redefining heritage sites as products subjected them “to the vagaries of product lifecycle” (Davies 2006) Is the concept of product life cycle (PLC) applicable on WHS in India? This is a question that needs to be debated from various angles. We cannot place an authentic monument like the Taj Mahal and the staged authenticity of a heritage museum in the same category of product life cycle as the product features and the pull factors have different levels and strengths.. The

* Professor of History, School of Social Sciences, Former Programme Coordinator (Tourism Studies), New Delhi, INDIA, E-mail: [email protected]


Marketing World Heritage Sites: A Case Study of Product Rejuvenation ... 15

Taj Mahal cannot be rejuvenated as a product. All that can be rejuvenated is the surrounding environment, facilities, interpretation and services. In fact, what you rejuvenate is the visitors’ experience by providing value addition to the core product. Hence, the core product remains the same whereas it is the augmented product that offers the marketer an opportunity to interfere with and rejuvenate.

On the other hand, in the case of a museum the rejuvenation can lead from structural changes to its displays. Herein arises the need to utilise the diverse features of the destination, including all its cultural resources, to form part of the marketing mix and thereby look for market positioning and branding with customer care as a major component. These ancillary factors do influence the PLC of the core product. Unfortunately, for a long time, such an approach remained missing for the Taj Mahal as well as other 28 WHS in India. The attitude was that Taj is a great attraction, hence, a brand and a great pull factor in itself, so why bother for the destination areas. Gradually, this misconception among the organisations responsible for their management and marketing has been changing.

At the same time a crucial question is whether marketing has a developmental role in terms of social responsibilities? This is equally applicable in the case of WHS as these sites are also the repositories of a nation’s cultural heritage and not merely dollar earning tourism products. In fact, Phillip Kotler advocated that the “concept of profit maximisation must be translated into benefit-cost maximisation so that marketing models can be applied fruitfully in the non-profit sector.” (Kotler 1989) New concepts have emerged like social marketing or socially responsible marketing wherein the marketing aims were enlarged in enhancing the societies’ interests and welfare with marketing playing an overall developmental role. Thus, in relation to the marketing of WHS there has to be a multi-fold approach which has to be a mix of all i.e. the product, services and the players involved with the site from varied angles like conservation, development as a product, market as an attraction for both cultural/heritage promotion and revenue generation.

Hence, marketing strategies have to be adopted in diverse directions targeting various segments of the society. For example, the tourists are targeted to encourage visitation but at the same time you have to market certain ideas to the local population as regards destination up keep, lending a helpful had for conservation and environmental protection; to check touting, cheating or illegal activities, you not only need law enforcing agencies but an inherent marketing campaign that hits on ideas. As Kotler has put it that social marketing seeks to influence social behaviour not to benefit the marketer, but to benefit the target audience in the general society (Kotler 1989).

One would like to add here that a marketer also benefits if the larger interests of the destination are accounted for. Though the tag of World Heritage provides a brand image to the site but this brand image cannot stand alone to develop the site as a tourism brand unless other factors are taken care off. The World Heritage Site requirements ask for conservation, and buffer zones etc. related to the protection and conservation of the site. Yet, there is something more that is equally essential to sustain the parameters that are considered essential to retain a World Heritage Site status. No doubt that the threat by UNESCO to withdraw this status from Taj Mahal came handy for the conservationists to protect the Taj against the builders and marketing lobbies who in the name of creating a Taj corridor in Agra were actually working for their commercial interests and the government had to back out.

In spite of mass tourism activity at most of the WHS in India not much tourism research has been conducted and the heritage research is confined to monumental descriptions or analyses. We still don’t have such research dealing with heritage-tourism mix or heritage-tourism marketing. A prime reason for this being that tourism research is still in its infancy in India (Kumar 2008). Moreover, India is still to catch up with a professional approach and funds for marketing heritage sites. Compare this to the development plan of Fremantle Prison in Western Australia wherein at each step the planning team had experts from the areas of management, marketing, history, environment, operations and finance backed by the local community (Kumar, 2009). Such professionalism we find missing in heritage planning for India where the bureaucrats and the politicians consider themselves fully competent in dealing with such cases. Unfortunately, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) that manages the WHS does have developmental and conservation plans for these monuments but has no plans or expertise for marketing. This later task is left either to the tourism departments or the industry. Hence, each player designs and develops its own strategies rather than having a combined plan. The sufferer naturally is the destination.

In India, the private players have hardly any role to play in the designing, managing or conservation of the heritage sites and it would be too early to use the term “Heritage Industry”, like UK, where there has been increased privatisation in this sector (Urry, 1990). The private players’ role is confined to their tourism businesses where they package heritage tours and accordingly promote and market them or convert the privately owned heritage properties into accommodation products. Quiet a few ex-rulers have converted their small palaces or residences to this effect. Because of the political and religious dimensions of the multi-cultural society, it is not likely that the private sector will be involved in playing a major role in the management of heritage sites. On the other hand, the same can be said as far as the local communities’ involvement and participation is concerned with the


exception of their aggressive intervention in case any of the management policies related to conservation or marketing touch the religious or community sentiments.

AGRA, SIKRI AND DELHI

Agra has 66 monuments protected by the Archaeological Survey of India, with its history being traced to about 1500 BC. The most splendorous age was under the Mughals and today the city is a mix of tradition and modernity. It has congested old markets and the modern malls, multi-storeyed buildings and 252 listed slums with about 43% of the population staying there. Decadewise Agra’s population increased from about 30% during the colonial period to about 50% in independent India. The population of Agra City jumped from 9.43 lacs in 1991 to 11.5 lacs in 2001, out of this almost 43% of the population lives in slums (Census of India 2001). These figures may tremendously go up in the 2011 census as the growth rate projections have been nearly 10% per annum since the last census of 2001. Most of this growth has taken place as a result of migrations. There are almost 30,000 daily commuters to the city to earn a livelihood. Fatehpur Sikri has also witnessed similar population increases.

This further raises the question of local community perceptions about the heritage of the city and also to determine who is a local. The people staying for generations or the migrants? The swelling migratory population mainly coming from the surrounding rural areas and regions is there to exploit the city for its own livelihood. It neither has emotional or sentimental attachment with the culture and heritage of the city and hardly understands or appreciates its relevance for livelihoods, though a sizeable section among them earn their livelihood out of the small businesses and petty jobs that have cropped up due to heritage-tourism. Added to this is the builders lobby with no business ethics or respect for heritage. Heritage awareness has more roots in the upper strata of the society and in spite of the efforts being made by NGOs it remains an elite concept. This is equally true in the cases of Fatehpur Sikri and Delhi. Thus, the concept of “mindful visitors” developed by Gianna Moscardo (1996) in relation to heritage and tourism becomes equally relevant in the case of local communities or hosts and we ought to have ‘mindful locals’.

A very critical factor that came to light during the fieldwork is that though the population in the cities of Agra, Fatehpur Sikri and Delhi is aware about the monuments, but the importance of their being WHS has no bearing on them. In some cases, the people do understand the commercial significance of the monument but are unable to appreciate the necessity of its conservation as regards the sustainability as an attraction. This brings in the question of internal marketing of heritage with a mission to convert the “heritage mindless locals” into

“heritage mindful locals”. This is a gigantic task that cannot be accomplished by merely framing laws and regulations. Hence, establishing coordination between heritage and the common people is extremely necessary for the sustenance of the heritage product. This needs mass heritage awareness programmes which should have a mix of both: i) the historical and educational relevance of the heritage-tourism products; ii) their growing relationship in creating jobs or small businesses for the local population that have a bearing on their livelihoods.

Merely emphasising on the first is often termed as elitist requirement and propaganda which offers nothing to the common people. It is crucial to also make the service providers understand that the pull factor for visitation is the World Heritage Site and their services facilitate the visitor’s experience, thereby meaning that a certain amount of quality assurance has to be there for the ancillary products/services.

MARKETING FLAWS

The pull factor is closely linked to destination management and so is the brand image. This necessitates a multiple mix for marketing of such sites and has to deal with certain complexities. The difference between Delhi and Agra is that whereas Delhi is marketed and promoted as a destination with multiple attractions, having the advantage of being the capital of India and the second major gateway by air transportation, Agra on the other hand, does not get promoted as a long stay destination in spite of having multiple attractions and Sikri is a half day excursion.

The visitor figures to Agra provide ample evidence to the point being made. When it comes to foreign visitors the number of those who visited the Taj Mahal gets reduced to almost half, when it comes to visiting the Red Fort, Agra and again there is almost a 50% cut when it comes to visiting Fatehpur Sikri, the third World Heritage Site about 30 Kms. from Agra. The figures of the last five years (Table 1) display that this has been a constant phenomenon and raises some serious questions on the marketing of the three WHS of Agra. If we look at the figures for the three WHS of Delhi (Table 2) we find a similar trend in the visitor numbers for Red Fort, Humayun Tomb and Qutab Minar. What we find for Agra in relation to foreign visitors is also replicated in the case of domestic visitors as the declining percentages remain the same. One can draw a conclusion that in terms of destination marketing there must be certain flaws and this brings in the question of product rejuvenification and product value addition to attract visitors for a larger stay.

Various problems are related to Agra being a short stay destination, like monopoly of the Delhi based tour operators, Agra not being the hub but an excursion from Delhi or Jaipur, etc. But one could immediately find a problem in the very


product design itself along with the promotional aspects. Taj is promoted as the product which the tourist can see in a few hours or half a day only. In fact, Agra gets more of day excursionists than those tourists who stay even for a night. A better use of history while designing the product can itself make a difference. For example, Taj itself can be packaged for different timings like the marble beauty in the evening, in moonlight, at sunrise, sunsets, etc., besides experiencing the Brij and Mughal cultures. Visits to artisans making handicrafts, excursions to Bharatpur Bird’s Sanctuary and Fatehpur Sikri, the two other WHS; excursions to Mathura and Vrindavan – the holy cities; walks through the traditional markets of Agra; visits to lesser known monuments and a day at Agra Fort can itself, if included in the product package, increase the stay.

There is a sizeable gap in the number of visitors to the three heritage sites in Agra as well as Delhi, in spite of the fact that every tourist brochure or promotional website does list the other monuments to be visited in the vicinity. This necessitates the redesigning of not just the itinerary but a repackaging of the tour package offering more activities and an overall experience of the culture and environment that surrounds the heritage site. Such a diversification will be beneficial in two ways – firstly, the number of days of stay can be increased and secondly, to an extent help in solving the problem of carrying capacity. For making such a package, the product designer, marketer and the historian will have to sit together but one finds such interactions missing. Similarly, all other providers of auxiliary services like accommodation and F&B have to identify themselves with the destinations and appreciate that their businesses thrive because of the destination and not vice versa.

An important feature in relation to heritage is that one needs an integrated management and marketing mix which takes

a holistic view of the destination. This is because various aspects like conservation and maintenance operations, interpretations, promotion, publicity, branding the people (visitors as well as hosts) and aspects related to product designing are not only inter-dependent but as a whole form the heritage-tourism product for the experience of the consumer (tourists) at the site. Hence, this involves a highly complex operation wherein no alterations or changes are possible when the core product is a historical monument. It is only through conservation, managing the authenticity, carrying capacity along with interpretation that one sustains the core product or adds value to it (see Fig. 1).

The concept of carrying capacity is looked upon more as a conservation issue for the monument. However, there is hardly any attention paid to this while developing the monument as a heritage product. At some sites this problem has emerged because of increase in the number of visitors whereas at some sites because of management problems without taking into account the marketing implications. As a result, it is not just the conservation that suffers but the lack of preparedness to manage the visitors also affects the brand image of the monument. There are occasions when the number of visitors to the Taj exceeds 25000, yet strong measures are being taken to check the numbers as in case of night visits numbers are restricted to a batch of 50 for 30 minutes and not more than eight batches. Still the problem persists for the day and particularly on Fridays when people go and offer prayers.

In fact, specialised team of experts need to be constituted, representing different areas, not only to act as a think tank but also to carry forward and monitor the WHS. Such team needs to be empowered in such a manner that they can finally coordinate between the various authorities which have their jurisdictions over these sites and adjoining areas.

Table 1: National and International Visitors at Agra World Heritage Sites

Monuments 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10Indian Foreign Indian Foreign Indian Foreign

Taj Mahal 2624085 586105 2635283 591560 2585560 491554Agra Fort 1177133 357570 1289810 385697 1398890 314116Fatehpur Sikri 263083 195889 292483 191242 294316 159672

Source: ASI

Table 2: National and International Visitors at Delhi World Heritage Sites

Monuments 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10Indian Foreign Indian Foreign Indian Foreign

Qutab Minar 2044340 292386 2130406 234768 2073612 227836Red Fort 2112481 161650 2226017 130953 1995707 118561Humayun’s Tomb 239682 223626 267700 195246 277140 183129

Source: ASI


For example, the security at the Taj Mahal is looked after by the Central Industrial Security Force, the conservation, management and ticketing is done by the Archaeological Survey of India and the maintenance of law and order is the task of UP Police. The UP Tourism Development Corporation manages the nearby restaurant and accommodations whereas the private service providers come under the jurisdiction of the Agra Development Authority or the Agra Municipality. The regulations framed by each one of them are often contradictory and each authority has an excuse to throw the onus on the other. This necessitates one regulatory body for each World Heritage Site expert.

LOCATIONAL CONCERNS

One has to appreciate the environment zone that has been created around the Taj with only pollution-free vehicles being

allowed in the area; the Shilp Gram – a village of artisans and certain other services provided by the tourism department which form part of the augmented product. However, This exotic experience gives way to a negative image the moment one lines up in the queue to enter the monument because of touts who offer facilitating quick entry on extra payments; beggars and garbage.

TOUTS

The most talked-of problems at all these WHS are that of touts and beggars. Descriptions of their persistence do figure up in most of the travel guides and promotional literature. A survey conducted by the Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Agra University, revealed that the most irritating factors for the tourists were the hawkers and touts. This is something which not only puts

Fig. 1: Integrated Management Operations and Marketing Mix

(World Heritage Site: Monument)


a negative image on the destination but also undoes most of the marketing initiatives that are carried out to further promote these sites. It is not that the problem cannot be solved by banning their activities and removing them from the sites. Unfortunately, both of them have emerged as strong businesses at tourist destinations with cuts and bribes being given to the personnel of regulatory authorities. The situation at the WHS in Delhi is better but has taken worst proportions in Agra and Fatehpur Sikri. The police instead of checking them gets monthly cuts or bribes from their earnings.

Fieldwork at one of the World Heritage Site demonstrated the income generated by a police station through bribes and extortions was to somewhere US$ 33,500 per month and that too in the Off-season. Besides the beggars and touts, every service provider or shopkeeper including the tourists taxis and coaches have to shell out a fixed sum to the local police. It this is not just a coincidence that side by side its Incredible India promotion campaign, the Indian Tourism Department keeps running awareness quickies on the Indian TV Channels with the caption Atithi Devo Bhava (Guest is God as per Indian culture) wherein the Bollywood celebrity Aamir Khan educates the Indian people not to cheat the guests and be respectful towards them. The themes vary from overcharging to eve teasing. Yet, all the good intentions of such advertising on the media get converted into a negative understanding about the service providers though it’s only a fraction that is involved in such outrages.

Hence, the methods required to check such happenings are to be targeted on the offenders rather than making a public display and inviting negative publicity. Sheer presence of an alert and honest tourist police force can solve the problem. But such a force exists more on papers and what one witnesses at the site are empty police booths. In fact what is required is a massive campaign at the local levels at these sites by providing protection and confidence to the genuine service providers and isolating and punishing the culprits who very often go scot free because of the laxity in laws or non-presence of the law enforcing agencies. Thus, for project rejuvenation eradicating such illegal activities has to be taken as an inherent component of the plan.

Another interesting experience on the website Travelpod (www.travelpod.com) of a traveller who highly appreciated the beauty of the Taj was explained as thus “as we sat soaking up the atmosphere, we were pounced upon by Indian tourists wanting to have their photographs taken with us … a steady stream of children were placed on our lap one after another, it was if we were part of the Taj experience for the domestic tourists.” Though the same tourists commented “poets and writers through the ages have tried to encapsulate the beauty of the Taj, and I am here to tell you, it is an impossible task. All that I can say is you have to see it to really appreciate it and the aura that surrounds it! Unforgettable, one of the

places we have visited which more than lived upto our expectations.” (Aubery and Jane) There are many stories on the blog that talk of the greedy extortionist behaviour of the locals ranging from attendants to shopkeepers, etc. However, such problems are more there for the bagpackers or the budget tourists and the individual travellers than the up-budget tourists who stay in star category hotels and are cared for.

GARbAGE

A problem that has taken acute proportions in Agra is that of litter and garbage, not in the vicinity of WHS but in the city as a whole. Efforts made in this direction by the Agra Development Authority and the Municipal Corporation have miserably failed. For the last 16 years one has been hearing in the IATO sessions that dynamic officers have taken charge of such bodies and things would improve. Yet, Agra is getting dirtier and dirtier. It is an irony that the tourism industry segments who earn huge incomes are themselves not prepared to take up this challenge. If they can donate even 1% of their profits towards cleaning of the city that will be a major contribution in building up an environment not just around the Taj Mahal but for the whole of Agra. However, the industry believes in reaping the benefits from heritage and not contributing towards the destinations’ upkeep. Most of the five star hotels in Agra have an exotic environment but the entire experience of the tourists gets affected when 50 mtrs. walk outside the hotel brings them litter and garbage. If immediate action is not taken the day is not far when Agra would become only a day excursion for the tourists and when questioned about spending a few nights there, the tourist may answer “Oh! I would have loved to but the filth and garbage is all around”. Hence, it is equally important that the entire destination has to be improved upon and not just one attraction or its surroundings.

GUIDING SERVICES, TALES AND HISTORICAL DISTORTIONS

Traditionally, these World Heritage Site were flooded with unrecognised guides with many being in this as a family profession for generations. A few guides were licensed by the Archaeological Survey of India. It was a free for all situation where one could witness history being manufactured by the guides as per there own whims and fancies and a few examples are worth citing here.

“This is the Qutub Minar. Qutbuddin destroyed twenty-seven temples to construct it. Yes sir, twenty-seven. See this board sir, Archaeological Survey of India”, this is how the Minar was being introduced to the tourists by our local guide, who further added, “about 5000 Brahmins died defending it and the river Yamuna became red. The mosque


was built to celebrate the victory of the Muslims.” Well, the story of twenty-seven temples being destroyed is a historical fact. But the guide picking up on this historical fact created a past suiting to his conviction by including in the narrative the killing of Brahmins and the river Yamuna becoming red with their blood. What one was witnessing here was not just an interpretation of history but history being manufactured as after a few minutes the same guide told the mesmerised tourists. “You know sahib, actually, this is not a minar built by Qutbuddin. It was built by Prithviraj Chauhan who wanted it to be an observatory. Samyukta, his wife used to climb it every evening to pray and light a lamp here.”

The historian in me smiled and cornered him by asking “Well, if it was constructed by Prithviraj Chauhan, then it must have been him who destroyed the twenty-seven temples and killed the Brahmins!” “No sir, no sir, that was Qutbuddin”, said the guide, protesting weakly. Despite the shock experienced by the audience, one man said sympathetically, “After all he has to do his rozi dhanda (daily business) and tourists do like these stories.” (Kumar 2005)

Again, when questioned about the source, the guide had only silence to offer. Not only are these gory details being sunk into the tourist psyche we often find the guides making laughable narrations as the tourists could discern on their own that how they are being fooled. One witnessed the guide showing a spot to a foreign tourist on the back side of the Taj Mahal and narrating, “You know this is the spot where Shahjehan and Mumtaz Mahal used to sit in the moonlight and the emperor used to present roses to Mumtaz Mahal, his beloved queen.” Even an average tourist would smile on this as one knows from the guide book that Taj Mahal was constructed of Mumtaz Mahal in her memory by Shahjehan.

Another story narrated with all excitement and thrill at the Taj Mahal was that after the construction had been constructed Shahjehan got both the hands cut of all the artisans who were involved in its construction so that they could not construct another marvel like this. Again, there is no historical evidence that even minutely hints to such an incident.

In fact, going much beyond the biases of the historians what one witnessed here was the creation of a highly inflammable past that not only propagated communal feelings but actually created a divide detrimental not just to tourism but for overall societal development. How many tourists would logically analyse the interpretation and how many would carry back home the evidences of killing and divide becomes the crucial questions here. Well, this is not to say that there had been no acts of barbarianism in history during the medieval period. Loot, plunder and demolitions were carried out by the invaders but then how far do we go back in history.

Actually, many of these tales find their origin from the traditional professional storytellers (kissegaar) who used to earn their livelihood by narrating lucid stories at public

gatherings till the end of 19th century. In their narrations they would use their wildest imagination to entertain the people and earn some money. With the fading away of the storytellers their skills were replicated by the unprofessional guides at the monument. It is here that a positive intervention by a professional historian matters in a society. If we had a history of plunder we also have a history of harmony and the message that has to be transmitted to the next generation should be that of peace and harmony rather than of hatred and divide.

A lot of voices were raised for having quality guide services but because of court cases by the traditional guides and touts the training programmes could not take off. After lots of hassles and legal battles the ASI assigned the guides’ training programme to the Indian Institute of Travel and Tourism Management, under Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India. It is here that scientific training programme was worked out taking into account the knowledge and interpretive skills required for guiding. The results have been encouraging and one finds a more professional approach adopted by the guides at these sites.

AUGMENTED PRODUCT

In order to further augment the product, a Taj festival (Mahotsav) is organised as a ten day event by the Uttar Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation. A variety of attractions are packaged for the tourists and include local cuisine, handicrafts, theatrical performances depicting Mughal and Brij culture along with the performances by leading artists and musicians and Bollywood dancing. At times, performances by Russian Ballet Troup and British Band have also been added. There is huge influx of domestic tourists with over a million tourists attending this festival that has an entry fee of US$ 0.20. This feature is held in the Shilpgram that is the artisans’ village established as a permanent feature about 500 mts. from the Taj. There have been mixed observations about the event. The organising committee consists of bureaucrats only, with no local representations and has been criticised by the NGOs dealing in environmental and heritage issues. Certain other proposals like the ropeway linking the Taj with the Agra Fort and the gardens behind the Taj have been shot down by the Archaeological Survey of India for the sake of conservation. Yet there are occasions in the peak season when the number of visitors to the Taj crosses 25000 mark daily (www.thaindian.com).

In fact, the local conservation society of Agra has been trying to make the tourists have a diverse experience of Agra and has started organising different events in the city round the year – a prominent one being celebrating Emperor Akbar’s birthday with nostalgia. Yet, these are spontaneous efforts and lack professional planning.


Exhibitions, displays, site museums and educational activities are some other aspects that can add value to the WHS in India and the need is to plan them as round the year activities. Our field survey pointed out that a small Taj Mahal museum within the premises of the Taj receives not even 2% of the tourists that visit the Taj. Many complain of the extra charge being taken again though it is not even 2 cents. In fact, the major reason is lack of publicity for this museum which houses not only the architectural plan of the Taj but also the precious stones and other artefacts.

The introduction of heritage walks around the WHS in Agra and Delhi has added to the activities and experiences of the tourists and is a flourishing business that has gone a long way in rejuvenating these products. There is ample scope for developing Fatehpur Sikri to stand on its own as a destination that can be packaged for two to three days. This requires efforts to augment the core product. But the Archaeological Survey of India is a poor organisation as far as funding is concerned. Still low cost projects can be taken or the government should allocate special funds for the returns expected will be quiet high keeping in view the awe and aura of this heritage product.

Bollywood has played a major role in the promotion of the WHS in India with Agra and Delhi monuments figuring prominently in the films. A host of films have been made on the Taj Mahal revolving around the love story of the royalty motivating many to visit (Akhtar and Kumar 2010).

Having discussed these internal factors linked with marketing or rejuvenating the product, there are some very crucial external factors that have a crucial bearing on the marketing of the WHS in India, particularly the ones in Agra and Delhi that can undo all efforts and initiatives made in this direction by the government as well as the private sector. The experience of last twenty years has shown that India, leaving aside a few intervals, has to market its tourism products in crisis situation. It had taken decades to come out of a negative image and establish itself as Incredible India. However, terrorism and travel advisories given by the dominant nations have adversely affected visitors’ inflows to India.

I have dealt with these aspects in another paper (Kumar 2010) hence, suffice here to make two points in this regard. Firstly, terrorism is a major threat not only for the WHS in India but also all over the world. Taj Mahal and Red Fort remain as targets by the so-called jehadis with the Red Fort already having faced a terrorist attack. Hence, combating terrorism has to be integrated in the management and marketing of the WHS. But the other intriguing path is that even the slightest provocation or an intelligence report makes the dominant nations issue travel advisories to their citizens. Nothing can be more laughable that these advisories were issued against India in early May 2010 whereas the explosives were

discovered in Times Square, the heart of New York. Well this is the politics of tourism and the developing/ third world countries have to bear the brunt.

CONCLUSION

Our study shows that in case of monuments being the core heritage tourism products there is o scope for any alterations except maintaining their authenticity through conservation and professional visitor management keeping in view the concept of carrying capacity. Hence, the brand image and the pull factors are heavily influenced by the augmented product line, congenial environment and professional service operations that enrich the tourist experience. Maintaining certain standards for quality services and a professional interpretation of the site is essential to enhance the tourist experiences which are commonly shared in the tourist generating markets through the websites and blogs. There is an immediate need to carryout certain improvements to mitigate the factors like touting, harassment by hawkers, etc. to build a tourist-friendly environment around the WHS at both Delhi and Agra. Generating heritage awareness down the line, creating mindful locals and service providers in the industry along with an integrated marketing and operational mix (as suggested in Fig. 1) under the auspices of one regulatory body with a sound monitoring system of operations and impacts will go a long way in marketing these sites in conjuncture with the destination cities.

REFERENCES

Akhtar, Shamima and Kumar, Kapil (2010), “Film Induced Tourism: Use of Films in Destination Marketing”, Indian Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Kerala Institute of Tourism and Travel Studies, Thiruvanathpuram, Vol 1, No 1.

Archaeological Survey of India ReportsAustin, N. K. (2002). Managing heritage attractions:

Marketing challenges at sensitive historical sites. International Journal of Tourism Research, 4, 447-57.

Census Reports of IndiaFieldwork in Agra, Fatehpur Sikri and DelhiKotler, P. (1989). Social marketing: Strategies for changing

public behaviour. New YorkKumar, K. (2005). Use and misuse of history in tour-

ism: A case study of India. Paper presented at “Recent Developments in Tourism Research”, University of Algarve, Portugal, Electronically Printed.

Kumar, K. (2008). Situating tourism research in India and the asia pacific context. paper presented at APac CHIRE International Conference, Perth, Australia

Kumar, K. (2009). Study of convict heritage tourism: A case


fremantle prison. Australia”, paper presented at “Planning for the Future – Learning from the Past: Contemporary Developments in Tourism, Travel and Hospitality”, University of the Aegean, Greece, (under publication).

Kumar, K. (2010). When the Forecasts Fail: Terrorism and Tourism. International Journal of Tourism and Travel, Institute of Tourism and Travel Management, Delhi, 3(1)

Miller, S. (1989). Heritage management for heritage tour-ism. Tourism Management, 10, 9-14.

Moscardo, G. (1996). Mindful Visitors: Heritage and Tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 23, 376-97.

Survey Report of Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Agra University

Timothy, D. J. (ed.) (2007). Managing heritage and cultural tourism resources. Critical Essays, 1. Ashgate Publishing Limited, England,

Timothy, D. J. (ed.) (2007). The heritage tourist experience. Critical essays, 2. Ashgate Publishing Limited, England.

Timothy, D. J. (ed.) (2007). The political nature of cul-tural heritage and tourism. Critical Essays, 3. Ashgate Publishing Limited, England.

Urry, J. (1990). The Tourist Gaze. Sage Publications, London www.thaindian.com

TAJ GROUP OF HOTELS AS BRAND EMPLOYER: A SELECTIVE STUDY OF

STUDENTS AS JOB ASPIRANTS AT ALIGARH, INDIA

Sheeba Hamid*, Ataur Rahman Farooqi**

Abstract In an economically unstable and volatile, national and international scenario, organisations need every weapon in their arsenal to attract and retain their most valuable asset i.e. human resource. That weapon is undisputedly brand building. Employer brand has emerged as a tool that retains human resource and helps in moving ahead without any hurdle and hiccups. Taj Hotels is one of the biggest business houses in India which provides food to thousands of people not only within the country but outside India as well. This paper tries to give an idea about Taj Hotels’ brand image as to why people aspire to work with this group, particularly freshers. The results indicate some preference to financial benefits by Post-graduate diploma students and preference to non-financial benefits by post-graduate degree students at the entry level positions.

Keywords: Brand, Employer, Job Aspirants, Taj Hotels

1. INTRODUCTION

In search of a great place to work, job aspirants and employees are regularly looking beyond salary and perks to other factors that includes career prospects, what the organization stands for and how the organization serves its customers and the society. Therefore every organisation needs to look at those things that attract and retain employees to work for their organisation .The workforce today is changing significantly. Mobility of highly skilled international workforce is on the rise and younger generation is now also an important part of an organisation .In addition to this, there is an increased emphasis on knowledge workers. With these things in mind, every organisation is looking for efficient employees. Policy makers should try to make innovative strategies to attract and retain branding for the best and the brightest talent. On the other hand talents; that most organisations are seeking to attract, engage and retain are not looking for stimulating career anymore; they are looking to boost their personal brands. (Employer branding-building your competitive advantage, 2011)

In today’s global scenario, when there are euro and rupee crises, only those organisations are going to survive that recruit and retain most knowledgeable workers. With today’s volatile economic conditions, no organization can afford to overlook the value of top rated employees. Employer branding management has become a board level concern and

a key component of the goodwill of any organisation. Brand image serves to identify and distinguish an employer from its competitors. The challenge today is to create a strong and distinctive image (Kohli and Thakor, 1997).Successful brand building strategies create a distinctive market position for a company. The very nature of hotel/tourism industry and the business calls for highly engaged employees. While various hotel chains offer high quality products, the success of the chain is determined by service excellence, warmth and the art of hospitality that is extended to a guest. Therefore consistent delivery of service depends on highly talented employees who need to be continuously engaged and energized. (8th Corporate Sustainability Report, 2010 - 2011)

Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces comprising the Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) and its subsidiaries is recognized as one of world’s largest and finest hospitality companies. IHCL is one of twenty-five organizations in the world to win the Gallup Great Workplace Award in 2009-10 as well as in 2010-11 which recognizes organizations that best engage their employees. Incidentally, IHCL is one of the only two Indian companies to win the award twice. Eminent management institutes like Harvard and Cornell (the world’s premier hotel management institute) have used IHCL as a case study, showcasing its brand architecture. Credit Suisse Research Institute has also recognized IHCL as the only hospitality brand in its global study “Great Brands of Tomorrow” based on the successful emergence

* Associate Professor (Tourism), Dept. of Commerce, A M U , Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, E-mail: [email protected] ** Assistant Professor, Faculty of Management Studies, Jahagirabad Institute of Technology, Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, India.

E-mail:[email protected].



of three new brands which help to provide scalability and market leadership. (8th Corporate Sustainability Report, 2010 - 2011).

2. OBJECTIVES

High levels of labor turnover in hotel industry provides a constant challenge for employers , limits their ability to maintain a skilled workforce and results in enhanced costs. Research has demonstrated that effective employee engagement increases levels of trust and reduces turnover .The hotel business is a labor-intensive and quality-driven service industry. The competitiveness and productivity of the industry depends primarily on the skill levels and professionalism of its employees. According the TT Competitive report (as cited in Jacqui, B. & Candida, B. 2008), good management of human resources is one of the key drivers for competitiveness across the industry as brand employer.

Therefore the study was conducted with the following objectives in mind: 1. To bring to light the significance of employer branding

in present era. 2. To study the perception of Post-Graduate degree

students of Master of Tourism (M.T.A), Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh towards Taj group of hotels as brand employer.

2. To study the perception of Post-Graduate diploma students of Foodcraft Institute (FCI), Aligarh towards Taj group of hotels as brand employer.

3. To compare the perception of both respondents’ regarding brand employer and draw inferences regarding the possible factors that affect their perception.

4. To offer valuable suggestions to the managers in hotel industry so that they are able to carve out more effective strategies in order to employ, retain and attract well-equipped human resource.

3. METHODOLOGY

The paper is based on primary and secondary data both. Secondary data was gathered from various sources like websites, reports and national dailies. Primary data was collected through focussed survey conducted on hundred

students of Master of Tourism Administration (MTA), Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh and PGDAOM, PGDTTM (Foodcraft Institute, Aligarh). An opinion survey of eight statements was administered to the sample by the researchers to gauge the overall perception of job aspirants towards Taj group of hotels as a brand employer. Response to each statement was evaluated on three point scale of agree, disagree or cannot say. Opinions have been assessed through statistics using frequency and percentage of respondents on each statement. Independent T-test has been used to compare the two means of the aforesaid sample groups. Job aspirants were divided into two categories and their responses were compared to understand the differences in their perception of a brand employer in tourism industry. Using random sampling, 30 students from MTA (previous and final year), A.M.U and 42 students from PGDAOM, PGDTTM, F.C.I (Aligarh) were selected for the study.

4. HYPOTHESES

1. Ho There is no significant variation among the responses of MTA and PGDAOM, PGDTTM students at Aligarh on the basis of non-financial factors affecting brand image of Taj Hotels.

H1 There is significant variation among the responses of MTA and PGDAOM, PGDTTM students at Aligarh on the basis of non-financial factors affecting brand image of Taj Hotels.

1. Ho There is no significant variation among the responses of MTA and PGDAOM, PGDTTM students at Aligarh on the basis of financial factors affecting brand image of Taj Hotels.

H2 There is significant variation among the responses of MTA and PGDAOM, PGDTTM students at Aligarh on the basis of financial factors affecting brand image of Taj Hotels.

5. DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS

The first category of respondents that have been chosen as sample for the study are thirty students of Master of Tourism Administration (M.T.A), Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh India. M.T.A is a two year, regular, professional master degree course in tourism management. The program overview is:

Source: Training and Placement Brochure,2012-13, MTA, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.

Taj Group of Hotels as Brand Employer: A Selective Study of Students as Job Aspirants at Aligarh, India 25

Course Structure (MTA)

Source: Training and Placement Brochure, 2012-13, MTA, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.

The second category of respondents that have been chosen are twenty students of Post-Graduate Diploma In Accommodation Operation and Management (PGDAOM) and seventeen students of Post Graduate Diploma In Travel And Tourism Management (PGDTTM) at Foodcraft Institute Aligarh, an autonomous institute under the aegis of Ministry

of Tourism, Government of India . It is located in the campus of the renowned central university of India, Aligarh Muslim University. The details of these two courses are as under:


Students of aforesaid courses have been chosen as sample for the study because having studied various aspects of hotel and tourism industry, these students have an insight into implications of being a hotel/tourism employee and they are strong potential future employees of this industry. The choice of sample group is also based on the fact that the students of these courses undergo industrial training as a necessary and assessed component of the course which gives them general awareness of the situation of a hotel/tourism employee. Aligarh is famous as Muslim University is located here. Employers in Delhi view Aligarh as a potential talent market as this university is among the top ten institutions of India (Times Higher Education (THE) Magazine, U.K. n.d.) and also because of its proximity to the capital city.

6. DISCUSSION

Response of MTA (AMU) & PGDAOM, PGDTTM (FCI) Students

6.1 Perception of MTA students:

Responses on whether Taj group of hotels is employee- friendly or not, MTA students, as shown in Table 1, agree to the statement more than disagree. Out of 30 MTA student respondents on this statement, 63% agree that Taj group of hotels is an employee-friendly organisation while only 13% students disagree that Taj group of hotels is an employee- friendly organisation. 24% are not sure about whether Taj group of hotels is employee- friendly or not.

While 90% MTA students strongly agree with the statement that getting a job in Taj group of hotels is a passport to success in their future, merely 3% feel that doing a job there is not going to be good for them in future. 7% cannot decide on this statement. 64% MTA students feel that they are attracted towards Taj group of hotels’ as an employer because of their impressive pay-scales while 23% students are not attracted towards Taj Hotels as an employer only because of their pay-scales.13% cannot say anything about this statement. On joining Taj group of hotels, 84% MTA students agree that there will be overall competence development in them as a

Source: Prospectus, Foodcraft Institute, University Polytechnic Campus, Aligarh.


worker while merely 3% disagree to this. Remaining 13% respondents are not sure about their answer.

Regarding job security in Taj group of hotels, 47% MTA students feel that they will be secured once they are employed at Taj hotels while equal numbers of students are not sure about this statement. Only 6% disagree with the statement that they will get job security as an employee at Taj group of hotels. On being asked whether they will give priority to Taj hotels in comparison to lesser significant organisations’ offering higher salary, 53% MTA students agree that they will join Taj while 23% students say they will join the lesser significant organisation on account of a better salary offer. 23% respondents cannot say anything about this statement.

70% MTA students agree with the statement that they are attracted towards Taj group of hotels as an employer because of their sound financial policies while 23% cannot decide whether they will join Taj group of hotels on the basis of their sound financial policies. 7% respondents disagree with the statement. On the statement, whether their market value as an employee will improve after joining Taj hotels, 87% MTA students agree while negligible 3% students disagree

with the statement. Remaining 10% respondents cannot say anything.

6.2 Perception of FCI students:

Table 2 shows that 52% FCI students cannot say anything about the statement that Taj hotels has a reputation of being an employee- friendly employer while 48% students agree with the statement that Taj hotels is an employee- friendly employer. On the statement whether being associated with Taj hotels is a passport to success in their career progress, 79% students agree while 14% cannot say anything. 7% students disagree with the statement. On being asked whether impressive pay- scales offered at Taj hotels makes them attractive as an employer, 79% FCI students agree with the statement while 7% disagree with the statement. Remaining 14% students cannot say anything about this statement. 69% FCI students agree with the statement that there will definitely be overall competence development in them if they work for Taj hotels while 29% are not sure about this statement. Only 2% disagree with the statement.

Table 1

S.No Statements Responses fromRespondents Agree Disagree Can’t sayNo. % No. % No. % No. %

1 You wish to join Taj group of hotels because as an employer, they have a reputation of be-ing employee friendly.

MTA 30100

19 63 04 13 07 24FCI 42 20 48 00 00 22 52

2 Being associated with a brand name like Taj group of hotels will be a passport to success in your career progress always.

MTA 30100

27 90 01 03 02 07

FCI 42 33 79 03 07 06 14

3 You are sure that Taj group of hotels aim at overall competence development of an em-ployee through various and regular training programs etc.

MTA 30100

25 84 01 03 04 13

FCI 42 29 69 01 02 12 29

4 You feel you will get ‘job security’ by being an employee of Taj group of hotels.

MTA 30100

14 47 02 06 14 47FCI 42 20 48 05 12 17 40

5 You feel you will upgrade your market value as an employee by working with Taj group of hotels.

MTA 30100

26 87 01 03 03 10

FCI 42 30 71 02 05 10 24

6 Taj group of hotels attracts you as an em-ployee because of their impressive pay- scale.

MTA 30100

19 64 07 23 04 13

FCI 42 33 79 03 07 06 14

7 You will choose Taj group of hotels over an organisation of lesser market significant even if it makes a higher salary offer.

MTA 30100

16 53 07 23 07 23

FCI 42 00 00 39 93 03 07

8 You aspire to join Taj group of hotels be-cause of their regular and systematic finan-cial policies and procedures regarding incre-ments and other monetary benefits.

MTA 30100

21 70 02 07 07 23

FCI 42 18 43 04 09 20 48

Source: Compiled and computed from the responses to the questionnaires furnished to MTA and PGDAOM, PGDTTM students for the study at Aligarh.


On the statement whether after joining Taj hotels, they will get job security, 48% FCI students agree while 40% cannot say anything remaining 12% students disagree with the statement. On the query, that they will prefer Taj hotels over an organisation of lesser market significance offering higher salary, 93% FCI students strongly agree with it while the remaining 7% cannot say anything. 48% FCI students cannot say anything on the statement that they will join Taj because of its regular and sound financial policies while 43% students agree with the statement. 9% students disagree with the statement.71% FCI students agree with the statement that working at Taj hotels will enhance their market value as an employee while 24% students cannot say anything about this. 5% FCI students disagree that their market value as an employee will improve by working with Taj Hotels.

7. RESULTS (HYPOTHESES TESTING)

Group Statistics: Non financial aspects: Table 2

group N Mean Std. Deviation

Std. Error Mean

totalavg 1 30 2.540000E0 .6195660 .11311682 42 2.309524E0 .7891983 .1217759

Independent T-test compares the two group means. It is useful to know what the mean value are (Students of MTA=2.540, Students of FCI = 2.309 )

The significance value of Levene Test is lower here (smaller than 0.05), so equal value not assumed is taken into consideration for both the groups (p =0.032 ). A significance value of 0.170 (greater than 0.05) indicates that there is no significant difference between the two group means. Furthermore, the confidence interval for the mean difference contains zero within its range. This also indicates that the difference is not significant.

If the significance value is high (typically greater than 0.05) and the confidence interval for the mean difference contains zero, then we cannot conclude that there is a significant difference between the two groups.

Conclusion

Based on the results of independent t-Test (p=0.170>0.05), the null hypotheses cannot be rejected (Ho1). Therefore, conclusion is that there was no significant difference between the selected sample groups of FCI and MTA students on non- financial factors.

Independent T-test compares the two group means. It is useful to know what the mean value are (Students of MTA=2.4222, Students of FCI=2.175).

The significance value of Levene Test is lower here (smaller than 0.05), so equal value not assumed is taken into consideration for both the groups (p =0.008). A significance value of 0.139 (greater than 0.05) indicates that there is no significant between the two group means. Furthermore, the confidence interval for the mean difference contains zero within its range. This also indicates that the difference is not significant.

If the significance value is high (typically greater than 0.05) and the confidence interval for the mean difference contains zero, then we cannot conclude that there is a significant difference between the two groups.

Conclusion

Based on the results of independent t-Test (p=0.139>0.05) the null hypotheses could not be rejected (Ho2). Therefore there was no significant difference between the selected sample groups of FCI and MTA students on financial factors.

8. FINDINGS

The results of the test, although show no significant variation among the responses of the two sample groups but the responses of PGDAOM ,PGDTTM students at FCI, Aligarh as shown in Table 1 clearly shows inclination towards financial benefits as a greater preference over non-financial benefits in choosing an employer. It can be inferred that though there is no significant difference found statistically but the responses in Table 1 show noticeable difference. On

Independent Samples Test: Table 3

Levene’s Test for Equality of Variances t-test for Equality of Means

F Sig. t df Sig. (2-tailed)

Mean Difference

Std. Error Difference

95% Confidence Interval of the Difference

Lower Uppertotalavg Equal variances

assumed 4.815 .032 1.332 70 .187 .2304762 .1730122 -.1145857 .5755381

Equal variances not assumed 1.387 69.317 .170 .2304762 .1662070 -.1010707 .5620231


the other hand , MTA students at AMU, Aligarh are strongly inclined towards career progression and improved market value as an employee by working with Taj hotels. Though financial factors like impressive pay scales and sound financial policies of Taj group of hotels have an effect on their brand image as an employer on both sample groups, non-financial factors like being employee-friendly, market value upgradation as an employee affect MTA students far more than the FCI students at Aligarh. FCI students give a clear response on the question that they will join any other organisation other than Taj hotels which offers them higher salary whereas majority of MTA students show their choice as Taj Hotels on same question. This is clearly indicative of the fact that strong preference is given to non-financial benefits by MTA students in joining a brand employer like Taj. FCI students response on this question tilts their balance significantly towards preference to financial incentives only unlike MTA students. This may be attributed to the fact that diploma courses focus more on building technical capabilities in select disciplines rather than adoption of a holistic approach towards developing students in sync with the ever changing managerial and leadership scenario worldwide. This is also indicative of the possible link between financial benefits as the major basis of decision of students studying select or technical disciplines in tourism and hospitality institutions in selecting an employer. This also indicates the possible link between holistic benefits as the major basis of decision of students studying managerial courses in selecting an employer.

9. SUGGESTIONS

Reforms that are designed especially for the overall well-being of the workforce at Taj group of hotels can specially emphasise on needs of employees keeping in mind their educational background. Employees who are inclined towards financial benefits should be accordingly provided

Group Statistics: Financial aspects: Table 4

group N Mean Std. Deviation

Std. Error Mean

totalavg 1 30 2.422222E0 .7777230 .14199222 42 2.174603E0 .5371716 .0828874

in order to achieve greater retention. Those who are inclined towards non-financial benefits can be accordingly provided with. The hierarchy of needs of the potential and existing employees of Taj group of hotels have to be ascertained and then incentives have to be provided in accordance with their needs so that attrition level is lowered and employee engagement is enhanced. The managers have to identify the specific needs of different sets of employees and engage them by providing what they actually require rather than what the organisation assumes as employees’ requirements. Initial packages that include financial and non-financial incentives both for entry level positions can be redesigned keeping in mind the above mentioned results so that brand image of Taj group of hotels among student job aspirants is further enhanced and the organisation attracts and lifts the best talents across various campuses in the country.

10. SIGNIFICANCE

This study provides new insight for practical business management as it was conducted on job aspirants. It will help the managers in hotel industry to carve out more effective strategies to employ, retain and attract well-equipped human resource. Brand manager’s primary task is to maximize the goodwill of the organization and this cannot be done without a sustainable HR pool. To achieve this, the present study provides the managers with a more comprehensive understanding on attracting and retaining human resource of different kinds, based on their educational background. The study, therefore, is a gateway for managers’ leading towards judging the expectations of potential employees with different degrees and diplomas at entry level positions , from a brand employer.

11. LIMITATIONS

Since the study covers the area of Aligarh(B grade city) and job aspirants from core tourism and hotel courses only, the choice of sample was limited as there are no private or government educational institution run courses on tourism and hotel studies unlike Delhi or Mumbai(A grade cities)

Independent Samples Test: Table 5

Levene’s Test for Equality of Variances t-test for Equality of Means

F Sig. t df Sig. (2-tailed)

Mean Difference

Std. Error Difference

95% Confidence Interval of the Difference

Lower UpperTotalavg Equal variances

assumed 7.407 .008 1.599 70 .114 .2476190 .1548440 -.0612077 .5564457

Equal variances not assumed 1.506 48.175 .139 .2476190 .1644144 -.0829272 .5781653


where the sample availability is much greater. Secondly, the sample under consideration could not have risen by any means as the course intake in both the categories is not very high. The study is not aided or funded by any institution, hence due to paucity of resources, sample group could not be enlarged.

12. CONCLUSION

This study provides new insight for practical business management as it was conducted on job aspirants. It will help the managers in tourism industry to carve out more effective strategies to employ, retain and attract well-equipped human resource. Brand manager’s primary task is to maximize the goodwill of the organization and this cannot be done without a sustainable human resource pool. To achieve this, the present study provides the managers with a more comprehensive understanding on attracting and retaining human resource. The study therefore, is a gateway for managers’ leading towards judging the expectations of potential employees from a brand employer.

13. FUTURE RESEARCH

Future researches can include a larger variety of respondents from different courses on travel and hospitality in various cities as well since like all hotels, Taj group too inducts a variety of candidates for its different departments at various locations in India.

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Community initiatives in aChieving sustainability through inClusive

tourism praCtiCesBhaswati Bhattacharya*, Chandrima Ganguly**

Declaration We hereby declare that this paper, “Community Initiatives in achieving sustainability through Inclusive tourism practices”, is our own, unaided work. It is submitted first time for presentation in the national conference named, “Inclusive and Sustainable Growth, The role of Industries, Government, and Society” organized by IMT Nagpur. It has not been submitted before in any other journal or conference for publication.

Abstract The focus of this paper is to analyze the prospects of community inclusive tourism practices in achieving sustainability of the indigenous sections of the society, which in turn has a positive linkage with the socio economic development of these regions. The trend of development that characterises a region’s dependency on tourism, however, has seen the resources of numerous communities utilised by the state and companies with community members receiving marginal benefits. Given the widespread acknowledgement of tourism as a major income generating and revenue earning service sector particularly for developing countries, for sustainable development the actual benefits of tourism should be of, by, for and with the full consent and embrace of the community. Sustainable tourism is a movement that, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, establishes suitable balance between the environmental, economic, and socio-cultural aspects of tourism in order to guarantee its long term sustainability. The importance of community-inclusive tourism is its emphasis on active participation and empowerment of local people in the tourism opportunity. This introduces community inclusive tourism, a logical answer to the vices of mass tourism, as a means to develop the local community by blending sustainable tourism, preservation of nature with economic growth.In our present study we try to focus on the importance of Self Help groups in community inclusive tourism practices using the case study methodology on ‘Help Tourism’ and analyze their effectiveness in terms of achieving environmental sustainability and community development.

Keywords: Community-Inclusive Tourism, Self Help Groups, Environmental Sustainability

introDuCtion

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), ‘tourism is the world’s largest industry , contributing 9.5% of global GDP , surpassing other significant sector like financial & business services , transport and manufacturing: tourism accounted for 266 million jobs globally ( WTTC Report 2014) . As the global tourism industry has grown and spread more to developing country destinations, crucial issues about assessing the impact of tourism at national level concern how benefits are created and how they are distributed in the host country.

Sustainable development which ties together concern for the carrying capacity of natural systems with the social challenges facing humanity is the watchword of the day, emphasizing the need to preserve existing environmental resources for the benefit of future generations. Notwithstanding all the benefits

that accrue from a booming tourism trade, the physical, cultural and social environmental costs of the host countries are significantly proving to be detrimental to its contribution to economic growth of developing nations. The major criticism cited against tourism industry is resource paradox ( Williams P. F & Ponsford I. F , 2009). i.e. the tourism industry exploits and stresses environmental (natural) resources to satisfy consumers’ needs, its inherent dependence on an intact environment simultaneously requires their protection as a backdrop and ingredient in most tourism experiences. The influence of Mass-Consumerism precipitating the degradation and destruction of natural resources crucial to local communities’ livelihoods coupled with materialism and consumerism influencing and destabilizing the value systems of established social systems and cultures underlines the need for ‘environmental sustainability’ as the next great challenge that developing countries including India face along its path to development.

* Assistant Professor, NSHM College of Management &Technology, B.L Saha road, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. E-mail: [email protected], E-mail: 09831396669

** Assistant Professor, NSHM College of Management &Technology, B.L Saha road, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. E-mail: [email protected]



The evidence of climate change resulting in major changes in “ecosystem structure and function,” leading to “negative consequences for biodiversity and ecosystem goods and services e.g. water and food supply”, reducing crop yields due to climate change associated with global warming by mid-21st century thereby increasing the intensity and extent of already existing food crisis and poverty and increasing risk of extinction 20–30 percent of plants ( Gibbs W.W. 2001) and animal species making the ecosystem more fragile and thereby susceptible to exogenous shocks has produced the necessary amount of fear and imperative to rethink ways of environmental sustainability that has been carelessly handled by tourism developers. This challenge characterizes the debate of how environmental sustainability and tourism development might co-exist and profit from each other.

In order to diminish negative impacts of tourism activities, the 1999 meeting of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development urged governments to “maximize the potential of tourism for eradicating poverty by developing appropriate strategies in co-operation with all major groups, indigenous and local communities.” (Roe, 2001:2). An important principle is to seek to work with existing social and community structures with the focused objective of achieving broad and equitable benefits throughout the community. This emphasizes the development of a community inclusive approach involving empowerment of local people in decision-making over the level and nature of tourism in its area, making them the major stakeholders as well as benefiters in the tourism opportunity. Inclusive Tourism is a means of tourism development that fosters links and interaction between the different actors in the tourism industry, forms partnerships with private actors, stimulates the local economy and promotes the integration of women and active involvement of local communities emphasizing environmental, social and economic sustainability. (Leclercq, Fabrice, 2008)

The following paper, based on the case study on Help Tourism which adopts community inclusive tourism for natural resource conservation and village community development through tourism and its related activities, is divided into three chapters. Chapter one deals with the literature review and the conceptual framework used to guide this research. Chapter two deals with the methods used to collect and analyze data and Chapter three deals with the detailed discussions and conclusions reached.

sustainability and Community-based tourism

Sustainability is defined as that which seeks to meet the need and aspirations of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

suggesting a state of balance in which human activities coexist in harmony with their natural, social and cultural environment (Bramwell & Lane,1993). Since its inception attempts have been made to link it with virtually every aspect of development, tourism being no exception. A remarkable amount of literary work was done centering this concept in tourism and its chronological development.

Some authors analyzed sustainability as a strategy which would imply strengthening, upgrading, and even differentiation of tourist product relaying on organizational & technological innovations (Coccossis, 1996). A more conservationist approach recommended the need for ecologically sustainable tourism, suggesting sustainable ecotourism principles(P.A Wight,1993). The third approach narrates principles and practices of sustainable tourism development (Hunter,1995). The fourth approach is based on ecologically sustainable economic development wherein tourism policies are integrated with social, economic and environmental policies so as to minimize the negative impacts and maximize tourisms’ ability to assist in economic, social and environmental protection (Jithendran, 2002). Sustainable tourism is an economic development model conceived to improve the quality of life for local community, and to facilitate for the visitor a high-quality experience of the environment (Bramwell & Lane, 1993). However, although sustainable tourism appears as a holistic, equitable and future-oriented development strategy, it has a largely inward, product-centered perspective. Thus, whilst it embraces the objectives of environmental sustainability, sustainable tourism does not appear to be consistent with the developmental aspects of sustainable development.” (Sharpley, 2000).

Any effort to look at environmental restructuring for achieving environmental sustainability calls for adopting responsible and sustainable tourism practices on both demand and supply sides of the tourism chain to gain local economic development, reach some form of participation, provide socially and environmentially responsible experience for visitors, and bring positive effect on the conservation of natural and cultural sources, enabling an effective response to climate change. This is closely interlinked with inclusive growth through sustainable community participation by strengthening the disadvantaged rural communities through support to capacity building and vernacular infrastructure, while laying emphasis on the role of women. Involving the community is a critically important and complex subject for successful community-based ecotourism.

Abundant literature already exists on Community based Tourism (CBT), all of which claims a good amount of community’s participation in the decision making and management of tourism activities. Studies exist on the advantages of CBT in empowering local communities, improving local skills, instilling a sense of ownership among

Community initiatives in achieving sustainability through inclusive tourism practices 33

local community members and leading to development in a locality (Leballo, 2000). CBT development has played a central role in the generation of community revenues, employment and additional benefits with local involvement in tourism being viewed as a way of providing an alternative development route to improve peoples’ health, education and quality of life without compromising their natural resources (Mearns, 2003).

But the trend of this development revealed that while the state and companies accrued direct financial benefits by utilising resources of numerous rural communities, community members are becoming a commoditized component of tourism industry and received only marginal benefits from CBT. While economic factors hindering rural CBT are in form of lack of essential skills among the inhabitants, high development cost of the projects, low demand (Sharpley, 2002), the social factors affecting CBT development, are class, gender and patronage inequalities (Scheyvens, 1999). This poses threat to sustainable development of these rural areas leading to mass migration, lack of local ownership of natural resources and lack of community motivation and participation in environmental conservation. This call for differentiating what is understood by participation with the notion of leadership in the community, where ideas and projects take a more bottom‐up approach, instead of top‐down, where partnerships between public sector organizations, communities and private sector work together.

Conceptualizing ‘community inclusive’ tourism(Cit) approach:

The environmental awakening in the face of increasing global environment degradation emphasizes that for sustainable development a community inclusive approach needs to be developed with active involvement of local community and developing local self help groups as stakeholders in the tourism opportunities of the area. For any community participation to be effective, integrating “local community needs and ways of life with tourism developments to avoid the problems and conflicts’ associated with erosion of local cultures” is essential (Shaw & Williams, 2004:182).

In this paper we wish to develop a concept called “Community inclusive’ tourism. It is conceived as a community-led, community-focused as well as community-owned and the actual benefits of tourism should be of, by, for and with the full consent and embrace of the community. It should be characterized by autonomy and empowerment with regards to ownership and decision making power of the local community over the level and nature of tourism in its area, land use planning and development control over private property, making them the major stakeholders and direct benefiters in the tourism opportunity. It involves

an understanding, and where possible strengthening, of the legal rights and responsibilities of the community over land, resources and development, particularly of the tenure of community-held lands and to rights over tourism, conservation and other uses on these lands, for ensuring ‘community protection’, empowering them to influence activity and earn income and thereby reap the socioeconomic benefits from tourism.

The degree of community involvement and benefit can develop over time. The private investors should play a significant role in capacity building of the indigenous sections of the economy by advising and training local communities, negotiating practices using their indigenous experience and knowledge of tourism and conservation and then involving them in the preparation of strategies for environmental protection and conservation. They can also help to identify potential leaders and people with drive who can be handed over the reign of the business as well as the provision for employment and training programme for local people after a specified period, thereby making the local community stakeholders and safeguarding their ownership of local environment protection and conservation.

Community Inclusive Tourism , as an advanced form of CBT, differs in ownership pattern and right of property. CIT, initially may take the form of private – community / self help group initiative for tourism projects development with an aim for conservation of resources and economic option for the people but gradually terminated in total self help group ownership. In CIT the tourism projects are not only managed by local people but in long run turned into community’s or Self Help group’s property. Localities being the stake holders could retain the total income from Tourism projects in the local economy. Private business houses may initiate the project along with funding and developing managerial competence for the project which thereafter they pass on the ownership to the participating self help group. In this model initial problem of entrepreneurial requirements i.e. fund and expertise could be addressed in a better way.

stuDy objeCtive anD methoDology

The purpose of this study is to determine the practices associated with community inclusive tourism in rural and village areas and how far these are successful in achieving environmental sustainability and generating economic benefits of the region. The other more important issue to be addressed is to find out the pattern of community or self help group involvement in decision-making processes regarding the conflict resolution, operation and improvements of the region. Essentially the aim of the study is to track the sustainability measures that have taken place through adoption of CIT by Help Tourism.


The approach to the study was case study method, which, Haralambos and Holborn (1995, 833) defines as ‘the detailed examination of a single example of something’ and may involve ‘the study of a single institution, community or social group, an individual person, a particular historical event, or a single social action’. However, the study does not seek to generalize but in fact it hopes to get a clear picture of how the communities are benefiting from CIT.

Data requirements were met mainly through primary sources. Interviews with key stakeholders of Help Tourism were conducted with help of a structured schedule to generate necessary information. The schedule was prepared on the basis of the interaction with the industry experts and refinement thereafter for in-depth interview with key persons of the Help-Tourism management and members of Self Help groups with the current projects.

This study mainly focuses on the extent of achievements of Help Tourism in implementing community inclusive tourism practices as has been defined in this paper. Through the mode of operation of Help Tourism, a significant prerogative to which is the development of Self Help group, an approach has been modeled for planning and operation of the Community inclusive tourism practices, which has been proposed in this paper. Also the analysis tries to find out the various initiatives taken by help tourism and the local Self Help groups in achieving environmental sustainability.

Case-1: help tourism

It is a tour operator and destination management consultant specializing in East- and North East India and was established in 1991. Focused on tourism as a tool for conservation and sustainable development, it has supported various communities in the region in creating and establishing

quality tourism destinations with a unique local flavor. From a partnership venture it has become fully privately owned enterprise since 2007 providing purposeful travel to natural areas to understand the cultural and natural history of the environment without concealing actual threats. Ranked as one of the 158 best adventure travel companies on earth by national geographic adventure, it provides a strong platform for development of rural and village tourism. This is definitely useful for a country like India, where almost 74% of the population resides in its 7 million villages.

A major objective of this organization is to arrest village community within the periphery of forest, and thereby stop migration, to protect wild life. Help Tourism by involving local people into community tourism builds up capacity, safeguards ownership and links them globally. They regularly conduct campaigns for sustainable development at local levels, provides them with training and consultancy and encourages activities that confirm community development through tourism minus its negative effects: Linking Protected Areas and World Heritage Sites with people’s livelihood by giving them ownership through tourism is a first step towards meaningful and sustainable conservation.

projeCts unDertaken by help tourism

Help Tourism realized that preservation of natural & cultural wonders of India in their kaleidoscopic form and sharing with like-minded people could be attained only by total community involvement through Community inclusive Tourism approach. Help Tourism initiated more than 31 projects in the adjacent vicinity of national parks, biosphere reserves, or protected areas in different parts of eastern India for realization of this goal, some of which are mentioned below –

Table- 1: Projects undertaken by Help Tourism

Name of project Co–initiators Location Initiation

Pelling Pelling Tourism Development Association(PTDA) West Sikkim 1993Lava ’Lava Biodiversity and Eco-tourism Community’ Kalimpong 1995Garumara jungle camp Gorumara Paryatan Unnayan Committee Dooars, North Bengal 1996Rishyap /Rishet Loleygaon-Kafer Hotel Owners Association Kalimpong 1998Tinchuley SERVE, WWF Darjeeling district 1998Bali jungle camp Bali Nature and Wildlife Conservation So-

cietySunderban,South Bengal 2002

Uttaray S.B Subba West Sikkim 2003Barsey Jungle Camp Hee Bermiok Heritage Conservation Society West Sikkim 2003Manas Maozigendri Manas Maozigendri Eco Tourism community Bodoland, Assam 2004Kamlang & Namdhapa INC, Tirap Development Society and SEACOW Arunachal PradeshZiro Apatani tribal people Central Arunachal Pradesh 2005


organizational operation

Two types of models have been developed for CBT in protected or reserved areas. A Project based CBT, initiated by national or

international NGOs, local government, or National Park Management, that have developed as tourism destinations with the development of a tourism project.

B Non project based CBT, where the national park has a unique and specific attraction for visitors, leading to spontaneous development of tourism business by the community.

CIT approaches viewed as an improvement on basic CBT development approaches differ depending on the size and characteristics of the local community as well as the process of development of the project undertaken. Help Tourism’s CIT initiative can be ranked in the first category and is modeled as follows

identification of the conflict areas

The main objective of Help Tourism is conservation of nature by sustainable practices. The village communities of India, typical traditional in characteristics, portraying self-sustaining economy, using archaic technology with high dependence on empirical knowledge and close- knit social structure attained a balanced mutually dependent relationship with forest resources for their daily needs for livelihood. The break of the mutual relation was initiated in British regime and totally enforced by Indian Government rules & regulations in form of Indian Forest Act 1971 and Wildlife protection Act 1971. Under these laws, the rights of people living in or depending on the area to be declared as a forest or protected area are to be “settled” by a “forest settlement officer” through enquiry into the claims of people to land, minor forest produce, etc. and, if the claims are found to be valid, to allow them to continue or to extinguish them by paying compensation.

Thus a ‘conflict on right to forest’ between the localities and forest department came into existence leading to

unsustainable usage pattern which was further enhanced by the unsustainable models of forest management. The conflict is relative to the socio-economic surrounding of the place. In Sunderban and Manas of Assam, it is a struggle to stop illegal poaching. Another dimension of this conflict in Manas is to strive against terrorism. In different parts of North Bengal and Sikkim it’s a drift from Timber to tourism. In the national parks CIT is a drive to change the local population from destructor to protector.

Help tourism identifies and target those areas and tries to foster CIT as a force to bring together the apparent opposite interest of preservation of nature and community’s need of economic sustenance.

Case-2: self-help group

In the process of socialization, social support systems can be classified into five different types: self-help groups, social networks, natural helpers, formal organizations, and formed groups. Self-Help groups are different from other groups because they control their own resources and policies; the group is self governing and self regulating nonprofessional organization formed by people with a common problem or situation, for the purpose of pooling resources, gathering information, and offering mutual support, services, or care. In India the Self Help group is a unique approach to financial intermediation and women empowerment in rural villages.

The self help groups formed under the leadership of Help Tourism as an agent of community involvement in practicing sustainable tourism have 2 essential characteristics. A They are not always gender specific, men along with

women are members of these group. B They are rather management group than financial unit,

with competence in managing day to day operation of the camps. The whole responsibility of managing the ecotourism ultimately rests on them.

Help Tourism act as a crucial facilitator in the formation and development of these self help groups. This is accomplished by providing the following supports in developing these community groups:

Name of project Co–initiators Location Initiation

Chilapata Jungle Camp Not institutionalized Dooars, North Bengal) 2008Kolakham - Neora Valley Lingesykha Gram Panchayat NP (Kalimpong ) 2005 Dibang Valley Jungle camp Not institutionalized Arunachal Pradesh 2007


i. Formation of the group: In some places like Bali and Manas Maozigendri Eco-Tourism community, already a community of youths exist who are redirected and trained by Help Tourism to foster eco tourism as an economic activity. In other areas like Lava, the group named, ‘Lava Biodiversity and Eco-tourism Community’ is deliberately formed to shoulder the responsibility.

ii. Provide total training in hospitality management: Regular camp management is a key activity of these groups. They organize the rooms, provide food and maintain kitchen, initiate waste management processes, look after the guests, arrange sightseeing tours and coordinate among various activities for guest satisfaction.

iii. Workshop and training on Capacity Building and Ecotourism products: These self help groups ultimately become the owner and manager of the camps , so it is imperative that they shoulder all responsibilities for running these projects: keeping liaison with local bodies, arranging transport, recruiting human resource and marketing of the projects.

iv. Training in sustainable use of natural and indigenous resources and waste management: For instance the Help tourism initiative in Chilapata jungle uses trolleys to run on abandoned rail tracks for automatic patrolling of the forest resources. They organize health camps, training camps, environment camps to educate the community in sustainability practices.

v. Organizing Kraft Exhibition like Kraft Kanchenjunga, to encourage cultural heritage and capacity building of the ‘community tourism villages’.

vi. Promotion and Marketing of tourism product: Responsible for connecting these tourism projects with the right type of market worldwide. This remains an area of help even after the ownership is transferred to the self help groups.The promotional campaign is also the sole responsibility of help tourism

vii. They also provide the necessary funds and equipment so to enable the groups to attain their objectives. Frequently Help Tourism funded the initiation of the projects. Once the project starts, the rolling of the revenue generated and all other financial documentation and activities are done by these community groups.

reinforcement of round the clock Community protection

One key area in CIT practices is ensuring ‘community protection’ of the natural and cultural heritage. Communities play a crucial role in creating ‘Community protection policies’ to be adopted for enforcing control measures in this

regard. Some such measures adopted in various projects of Help Tourism are listed as follows:

∑ Hunting materials not sold in the villages in an initiative to prevent poaching of many endangered species

∑ For protection of wild life and their conservation, Selling wildlife meat as food has been banned for tourists as well as local people..

∑ For conservation of trees, partial cutting of trees with less timber value is widely used in order to control complete desolation of areas which once had plush green habitat.

∑ The entire community socially boycotts full family if any member is found guilty of malpractices against conservation of natural heritage

preservation and promotion of natural and cultural heritage

Promoting eco-tourism has an inert challenge of balancing both tourist comfort & satisfaction on one hand and preservation of ecology on other. Therefore commercial hotel type accommodation cannot be a choice. Help Tourism creates “Camps” and sometimes home stay facilities in or near the villages. For e.g., Bodo household home stay facilities are available in Manas jungle camp in Assam. The “camps” for tourists are not necessarily tent accommodation. The Garumara Jungle camp can accommodate 26 double bedded cottages. The Buxa tiger camp has 2 cottages & 2 family rooms. In Lataguri, unique accommodation is provided by converting the abandoned Timber Merchant Association Office in an eight bedded Tourist Hostel. The interior designs of the camps give highest importance to the exhibits of indigenous culture and handicrafts making maximum use of local ingredients to give a natural and ethnic look. All of them have satisfying level of functional comfort, so that the basic needs of tourists are cared for.

Guests are provided healthy food with local flavor. In Tinchuley, the major attraction is its Home Hospitality where one gets to eat bio-organic food. In camps of Sunderban village produced bio- organic rice packets are sold as souvenirs. Thus a multi‐layered approach to community‐led development allowing enthusiasts to develop small projects whilst having the support of the wider community to develop a holistic product is expected to emerge.

Apart from this Help Tourism also helps tourists to discover local habitats and wildlife, and celebrate and respect traditional cultures, rituals and wisdom by arranging for tribal tours, festival and culture tours along with butterfly tours and birding tours.

environmental sustainability through


Cit practices:

Since conservation is the main objectives, keen attention is given for waste management procedures. Special training on waste minimization as well as waste recycling practices is imparted to the villagers through deployment of local infrastructure and indigenous expertise. The key waste management practices adopted in various projects of Help tourism are listed below:

Waste Recycle & Incineration: The waste management process encompasses 3 parameters – Reduce, Reuse/Recycle and Disposal. Since disposal method is costly, the common option adopted by Help Tourism is Reduction of waste generation in their different projects. In Sunderban and other Bio- sensitive areas which are already declared as No-Plastic Zone, special prior intimation is given to the tourists regarding use of plastics and dumping of mineral water bottles is strictly discouraged. The wastes generated in the camps are segregated in biodegradable and non biodegradable substances.

The non-biodegradable ones like glass bottles etc are sold to local waste collectors generating an income for the Self help group. The canned drinks after consumption are used by the women folk for craft & toy making. Wrappers, thermocols etc are disposed off through the process of Incineration, adopted here in a primitive way. A big tinned covered drum is used for burning garbages. The ash is disposed in land filling.

Composting and Vermi Composting: The biodegradable waste like cardboard, papers, leaves, fruits and vegetables and any type of the kitchen waste are generally used for composting and vermi–composting purpose. This bio- compost manure are collected by the local people as high quality natural fertilizer and used in gardening and agricultural fields. The organic cereals and other products which are produced in the camp area are often sold as souvenirs to the tourist. Thus it generates extra income to the Self- Help group members.

Rain Water Harvesting: In different camps in hilly terrain and islands of South Bengal where water scarcity is acute, rain water harvesting practices of Help Tourism provides a partial solution. It involves accumulation of rainwater in catchment area (generally rooftops), where coarse mesh is used to remove the initial debris. The gutters around the roof made up of plastic or iron sheets or even bamboo trunk are used to collect rain water. Then they are stored in huge cemented tanks and filtration is done either using indigenous charcoal water filter or sand filter or using the process of chlorination and is then reused in all necessary purposes (like irrigation, domestic household chores etc)

Developing CIT Model Adopted by Help Tourism: Considering the potential conservation gain and the need

for a clear initial understanding of the relationship between local communities and the use of natural resources in the area concerned, an integrated approach needs to be planned for implementing the community inclusive tourism practices. Based on the mode of planning and operation of Help Tourism, we propose to develop a schematic step by step CIT approach which is as follows:

Socio Economic Empowerment of the Community Through CIT: The growing socioeconomic importance of CIT all over the world and especially in many developing countries and the effective contribution of tourism to the achievement of several Millenium Development Goals, as already recognized by the WSSD in Johannessburg and the Brussels Programme of Action, especially those relating to poverty alleviation, environmental conservation and creation of employment opportunities for women, indigenous communities and young people” (WTO, 2005:1) suggests such inclusive tourism approach as more sustainable as it allows the involvement of previously marginalized groups in society, such as women (Timothy, 2002) as well as the grassroots in order to achieve community empowerment.

Inclusive Tourism opens up new opportunities to source local products and services while improving human capital. The experience of the guests is greatly enhanced due to the “authenticity” of the destination and capitalization on the growing trend of “giving back to the community”.Total and direct involvement of the Community in tourism development empower people to be more aware of the value of their community assets-their culture, heritage, cuisine and lifestyle and this will foster community based conservation of these resources. It mobilizes them to convert these into income generating projects while offering a more diverse and worthwhile experience to visitors. This type of people-centered’ tourism promotes a sense of ‘ownership’ which augurs well for the industry’s sustainability. (TPDCO, 2007:1) These tourism projects are a well-thought of livelihood option and conservation tool for the local population who otherwise may migrate or destroy the natural resources for sustenance.

With the training being imparted to the local masses and managerial ownership being transfered to the Self Help groups, every citizen of the community is now a potential business partner to be trained in small business management, environmental awareness, product development and marketing. The local people are involved in every aspect of manning the project. The residents earn income as land managers, entrepreneurs, service and produce providers, and employees. Starting from the manager to care-taker, all are appointed by the community who are managing the project. The local youths are engaged as guides and guardians of the forest. The van/rickshaw pullers or boats men are all locals. Generally depending on the size of projects the number of employees can vary from 25 to 40. Thus CIT not only brings


long-term financial benefits to the destination community leading to notable improvements in local services and infrastructure but also improves community cohesion among individuals and families in building a successful industry.

ConClusion

The success of the community inclusive projects of Lava, Lataguri, Tinchuley and Manas show that community


empowerment through tourism initiatives is a practical and powerful way of sustaining economic and environmental well being of the fringe societies near National parks. Nevertheless management ownership needs to be supported by financial ownership which the projects like Dibang, Neora or Chilapata are yet to achieve. The training and constant monitoring of the members of Self Help group becomes crucial. Government intervention in this regard would help in strengthening the effectiveness of the process.

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EmployEE InvolvEmEnt as a tool for IncrEasIng Job satIsfactIon In HotEl

Industry –an EmpIrIcal studyShunali*, Manik Arora**, Suvidha Khanna***

AbstractPurpose of this paper The present paper is an attempt to explore how employee involvement can be used as a tool for increasing job satisfaction in the hotel industry.Methodology The data is collected through a self administered questionnaire. The total calculated sample size is 136 out of which 82 responses were usable. The data is collected from the A & B category hotels (Categorized by Department of Tourism J&K) of Jammu.Findings The major finding in this research is that employee involvement is positively linked to job satisfaction. But, since the percentage of impact of employee involvement on job satisfaction is low, there may be other factors that affect the job satisfaction more significantly. Future Relevance: The managerial contribution of this study will help to create awareness among hotel employers, that management should respect the views of the employees within the organization and employees should be consulted before setting policies, rules and long term goals and objectives setting.Value of Paper: The paper is especially valuable to the HR of the different hotels who face problems in retaining the work brigade, as the study provide an insight on the impact of employee involvement in organisation and its effect on overall job satisfaction.

Keywords: Job Satisfaction, Employee Involvement, Hotels etc

IntroductIon

Employee Involvement in the organization means creating an atmosphere in which employees have freedom to express their views and ideas. Marchington and Parker (1990) defined employee involvement as those practices which are initiated principally by management, and are designed to increase employee information about and commitment to the organization. Modern work ethics demand for equality and opportunity for employee’s individual growth within the organization, and this can be possible only when organization provide opportunity to employees to express their views and involve them in various organizational processes. Employees develop commitment and positive interaction styles when they perceive value in their interactions and experiences within the organization but dissatisfied employees can easily develop negative attitudes and perceptions that can further influence other staff. Thus in order to increase the workers commitment at the workplace and the improved work

performance and good group behavior, managers require to allow an optimum level of employee involvement (Cohen et al., 1997). Not only employee involvement is beneficial for the organization but can also be used as a strategy to increase the level of job satisfaction among employees. It enables the business to head towards a mutual aim within the business, provide consistency, and show the future of business activities, as well as by constituting a mainframe for the plans which increases the quality of the management (Dinçer, 1998:28; Asprogerakas, 2007).

According to Locke (1976), job satisfaction is a positive emotional state and it can be achieved from the appraisal of one’s job or job experience. In simple words job satisfaction is the feeling people have about their jobs and different aspects of their jobs (Spector, 1997). According to Schwepker (2001), job satisfaction is of two types intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic satisfaction is derived from mediated rewards such as the job itself and opportunities for personal growth and accomplishment and Extrinsic satisfaction is

* Research Scholar, School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of Jammu, Jammu & Kashmir, India. E-mail: [email protected]

** Research Scholar, School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of Jammu, Jammu & Kashmir, India., E-mail: [email protected]

*** Assistant Professor, School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of Jammu, Jammu & Kashmir, India., E-mail: [email protected]


Employee Involvement as a Tool for Increasing Job Satisfaction in Hotel Industry –An Empirical Study 41

derived from mediated rewards such as satisfaction with salary, company policies and appreciation from supervisors, support from fellow workers, promotion etc. Moreover job satisfaction has become a common activity in organizations in which management is concerned with the physical and psychological wellbeing of people (Spector, 1997). And thus, there exists a strong relationship between the employee involvement and job satisfaction (Dennis, 1999). Nykodym, et al (1994) also explained that participation causes greater job satisfaction because the employee feels more valued and trusted by management and workers also become familiar with management difficulties by dealing with some of the same problems. Today it is difficult to find a company that has not implemented some form of employee involvement program (Cotton,1993; Joinson, 1999; Sundstrom, De Meuse, & Futrell, 1999). According to Spreitzer et al. (1997), workers who have greater choice concerning how to do their own work have been found to have high job satisfaction and consequently high performance. The increasing competition and technological changes in the last few years have demanded higher performance and skills from the employees for the organization. Walton (1985) stated that the highly competitive environment needs a different strategic approach to manage the employees and employee involvement is one such strategy. As a result many industries are now opting new strategies of increasing job satisfaction among employees and the service industry is also following the same pattern. Since turnover rate in hotels is very high, it is important to study all the dimensions relating to the job satisfaction of an employee. Various studies like Kutanis et al. (2012), Ismail (2013), Markey (2009) and Ekmekci (2011) have been conducted to evaluate employee involvement in hotel industry but in the review of literature no study has been found measuring the role of employee involvement on increasing job satisfaction in hospitality domain. With this backdrop, the objective of the present study is to investigate the impact of employee involvement on the job satisfaction of the employees in hotel industry. Also the study examines the level of employee involvement and their satisfaction in jobs according to demographic attributes.

bacKground of tHE study

Employee involvement has also been described as empowering employees regarding the solving of problems at their level in the organisation – the reason being that it is advantageous to employees who are actually involved in a job to have control over improvement of the process since they are in the best position to do so (Pace, 1989).When employees are involved in an organisation, they not only have a greater say in them but also have better understanding about the rationale for them, there by resulting in greater motivation and effort (Wagner et al., 1997). Involvement helps to satisfy employees psychological needs and thus

increases employees motivation and job performance (Likert, 1961). Coch and French (1949) found that employee participation is directly linked with work outcomes such as the increase in job satisfaction. Oshagbemi (2000) defines Job Satisfaction as an emotional response that occurs as a result of the interaction between the worker’s values concerning his/her job and the profits he/she gained from his/her job. Job Satisfaction is the happiness and pleasure that employee obtains from the job and experience (Tantiverdi, 2008). (Wagner, 1994 & Verma, 1995) found that employee involvement have positive impact on job satisfaction of employees which in turn increases their productivity and performance. According to Miller and Monge (1986), job satisfaction increases productivity through bringing high quality motivation and through increasing working capabilities at the time of implementation. Moreover Job Satisfaction plays a crucial role as it affects the behavior of employees, which in turn has an influence on the performance and functioning in the Organization (Rowden, 2002). Employees are actually interested to get involved in setting long term and short term goals for the organisation, even they show willingness in solving problems of the organisation too and when organisation provide these types of opportunities to employees then it result in to job satisfaction among employees (Helliegel, Slocum and Woodman, 1998) and this clearly indicate a strong linkage between job involvement and job satisfaction. Not only employee involvement influences job satisfaction but also have strong impact on other factors too. Sashkin (1976) found there are four corresponding outcomes of employees’ involvement is: Quality Improvement, Increase in employees’ commitment and acceptance of decisions through a sense of “ownership”, and increase in adaptive capacity of employees in the organization. Employee involvement ensures that managers trust their employees (Brown and Cregan, 2008) and is a easy way of reducing resistance to change, and thus is the best method for achieving employee willingness to change (Judson, 1991; Cameron etal., 1993; Coch and French, 1948; Dean et al.,1998; Kirkpatrick, 1985; Pasmore and Fagans,1992; Pendlebury et al., 1998; Porras and Hoffer, 1986). Also when employees are given the opportunities of contributing their ideas and suggestions, it increases employees performance (Kemelgor, 2002) which in turn increases job satisfaction among employees. Rothman and Cooper (2008) argued that job satisfaction is a pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job or job experience and the main factors influencing job satisfaction are organizational factors like (pay, promotions, the work itself and working conditions), group factors like (the role of the supervisor and of co-workers) and sometimes personal factors like(family life and personal health) . According to Gould (1996) employee involvement is a transformation strategy that goes to the shop floor of the organization and it engenders a sense of ownership among


workers. Also Job involvement is negatively associated with intentions to quit and positively related to job satisfaction and organizational climate perceptions (McElroy et al., 1995; McElroy et al., 1999). Hence Mckenna (2000) argues that if an organisation does not create conditions for job satisfaction, the result will be decrease in productivity, increase in employee turnover and absenteeism, and a decrease in morale.

Many researchers found ‘demographics’ as the motivational factor for the job satisfaction, which changes employee’s attitude towards his/her job and towards work environment (DeVane & Sandy, 2003). Demographics also have strong influence on workers attitude, productivity, absenteeism, intention to leave, satisfaction and commitment at the work place (Shamil & Jalees, 2004). Tella et al., (2007); Asadi, et al., (2008) recorded that age, gender, experience, qualification, culture, and sometimes technological changes act as a catalyst for the overall satisfaction of the employees. Hartman et al. (1988) indicated that gender is a strong predictor of task performance and in turn level of job satisfaction. Spector (2006) observed that women are happier with lower pay and responsibility than men, women have lower expectations as compare to men and this further shows that their level of job satisfaction and involvement is also different. According to Okpara (2004) and Gürbüz (2007) participants with higher education seemed to be more concerned with performance and productivity and in turn have high job involvement at the work place. Thus it’s clear that there exists a strong relationship between demographic attributes and levels of job satisfaction and employee involvement.

Mushipe (2011) studied the employee involvement model in Zimbabwe that work on various areas like information-sharing and power sharing and found that employee involvement help in increasing job satisfaction. Griffeth (1985) studied the various forms of participation and indicated that there exists a positive relationship between both participation and job satisfaction. Bhatti and Qureshi (2007) studied the impact of employee participation on job satisfaction and found that increasing employee participation have a positive effect on employee’s job satisfaction. Global competition and a changing business environment have provoked an organizational change in response to the increased pressures to improve efficiency and performance (Lawler et al, 1992).When employees are involved, they become professionally and personally involved in the organization and work for its overall success. It also increases their morale, productivity, and teamwork. Participation process gives each employee an opportunity to display their Views, opinions, and they can also share their ideas with others which further increases employee commitment, improves manager-employee relationship. According to Mullins & Peacock (1991), employee involvement make them feel more involved in the achievement of the organizational goals. It increases

employee’s job satisfaction and also enhances employees’ morale and productivity (Chang & Lorenzi, 1983). Thus it is now clear that participation act as a strategy for increasing job satisfaction.

HypotHEsIs and data rEquIrEmEnt

This study endeavours investigating the relationship between the employee involvement, job satisfaction as well as the demographic attributes of the employees in hotel industry. For this, two major hypothesis have been formulated to test the relationships. Firstly, there exists a significant difference in the levels of job satisfaction and job involvement against the demographic attributes such as marital status, age and gender. Secondly, the employee involvement has a positive role for increasing job satisfaction in Hotel Industry.

Data was collected from primary sources with the help of structured questionnaire, which was carefully prepared after a thorough review of literature. The survey instrument consisted of four major sections. The first section contains questions on personal profile of the respondents including gender, age, marital status, Hierarchal Status and Length of stay in hotel. Second section comprises 22 statements on employee involvement developed by Kanungo (1982) and further developed by Karacaoglu (2005). Third section deals with 20 statements on job satisfaction based on the dissertation of Mbundu (2011). A five point Likert was used in the study, representing a range of attitudes from ‘1’ being strongly disagree to ‘5’ being strongly agree to measure employee involvement & job satisfaction.

The sample for the study was collected from a list of A & B class hotels of Jammu as categorized by Department of Tourism, Government of Jammu & Kashmir. The sample size was determined using statistical methods that shall help us to test the hypothesis at 5% level of significance. The calculated sample size is 136. Out of the total calculated size 82 responses were usable.

The data were analysed with the help of SPSS (specify version). The mean score has been used to deduce the opinion regarding employee involvement and job satisfaction. Regression equation was framed to find the impact of employee involvement on job satisfaction and ANOVA to evaluate the effect of demographics on employee involvement and job satisfaction.

rEsults

It was revealed from the study that 63 (77%) of the sample are males and 19 (23%) are females. The 46 (56%) of the sample are married and the rest representing 36 (44%) are single. The distribution of age is as follows; 61 (74%) of


the respondents are from the age group 20 – 40 years, 11 (14%) are from age group 40-60. Among the participants of the present research, nearly 55% of the workers are working in the present hotels between 1 to 5 years. Whereas 46% are from supervisory level, 32% are from operational level and rest 22% are from managerial level.

According to regression results, the coefficient of determination, R² = 0.1002. This implies that 10% of the variation in the job satisfaction is explained by the regression and the remaining 90% of the variation by error. Also, the coefficient of correlation r = 0.316. The Positive sign shows that there exists a positive direct relationship between the employee involvement and job satisfaction (r = 0.316). This implies that as the employee involvement in decision making increases, their job satisfaction also increases.

From Table 1, the regression equation as formed is:-

Job satisfaction = 1.9785 + 0.502 (Employee Involvement).

The regression coefficient B = 0.502 shows that the job satisfaction which is a dependent variable changes by 0.5 units for each unit change in employee involvement which is an independent variable. Thus, it is found in the study that job satisfaction is influenced by employee involvement perception and the value of r² = 0.1002 indicate that about 10% changes in job satisfaction is due to change in employee involvement. Hence, we can say that hypothesis 2 of the study is supported by the data.

According to two way ANOVA analysis there is a significant difference between by the level of employee involvement

and job satisfaction (Table 2) according to gender (p=161.45 > 0. 05). Also there is a significant difference by the level of employee involvement and job satisfaction (Table 3) according to age. (p=18.513 > 0.05). Also there is a significant difference between by the level of employee involvement and job satisfaction (Table 4) according to marital status (p=161.45 > 0. 05). (Tables 2, 3 and 4). Hence on the basis of above discussions we can say that our first hypothesis (H1) stands accepted.

conclusIon

The aim of the present study was to investigate how demographic variables effect employee involvement and job satisfaction level of the workers in hotels. The demographic variables studied in this paper are the marital status, age, gender. According to results of analysis, it was seen that the level of employee involvement and job satisfaction differs according to gender, while the same has been supported by Aranya et al (1986).

Another aspect discussed in the study was the difference between single and married peoples’ approach against the companies in terms of employee involvement and job satisfaction. According to the study, it is revealed that marital status is a significant variable that has impact over Employee involvement and job satisfaction. As it is commonly accepted in the literature, marital status is positively correlated with employee involvement and job satisfaction, because it is thought that married employees are more committed and responsible because they may be financially more dependent

Table 1. Regression Output

Multiple R 0.316R -square 0.1002

Coefficient of correlation r = 0.316Anova Degree of Freedom Sum of Square Mean Sequence F-Value Significance F

Regression 1 2.033 2.033 8.911 0.0038Residual 80 18.256 0.288Total 81 20.290

Intercept- Job Satisfaction 1.9785 0.5421 3.6498 0.0004X- variable- Employee Involvement 0.502 0.1683 2.985 0.0037

Table 2. ANOVA Represents Significant Difference in Gender.

Source of Variation Sum of Square

Degree of Freedom

Mean sequence F- Value

Between Rows (Employee involvement & Job satisfaction) 0.112896 1 0.112896 14.57851Between Column (Gender) 0.01 1 0.01 1.291322Residual 0.007 1 0.007Total 0.13064 3


on the organization. According to Mowday et al. (1982); married employees and/or employees with children take their spouse and/or children into consideration when making important decisions, such as changing company.

The findings of the present study suggest that employee involvement and job satisfaction differ according to the age of an employee. In fact it is generally accepted that young people feel more satisfied when readily involved and thus also results in positive effect in their overall job satisfaction levels.

The general conclusion in this research is that employee involvement is positively linked to job satisfaction, similar to what has been proposed in several previous studies. Uygur, A. and Kilic, G., (2009) examining the relationships between job involvement and job satisfaction. According to Akuoko, Dwumah & Ansong, (2012) employee involvement plays an important role in organizations because it enhances workers performance which further leads to the success of an organization. Bohlander and Snell (2004) defined empowerment is a technique of involving employees in their work through involvement; it encourages employees for innovations and enhance their capabilities too. At the same time employee involvement process generates a feeling of ownership among workers and that can result in competitive advantage over other organizations that do not involve employees. Employees who feel themselves to be involved in the organization seems more job satisfied which is undoubtly beneficial for the organisation. Hence this study strongly emphasis that employee involvement creates a sense of belonging and that further ties a psychological bond between the employee and the organization which in turn increases job satisfaction among employees in hotel industry.

lImItatIons of tHE study

This research study has few limitations like the study area is limited only to hotel industry and this research may not be generlised to employees in other industries. Thus for better results other industries should also be considered. Also sample size was small and the method used in the research in order to collect data is Questionnaire method. Other methods like group discussions, personal interview of hotel employees etc could have also been for better results.

futurE rElEvancE

This study is an evident proof which indicates that there exists a strong relationship between employee involvement in hotel industry at every level. The managerial contribution of this study will help to create awareness among both employee and employer, that management should respect the views of the employees within the organization and employees should be given equal opportunity to take part in organizational processes. Also employees should be consulted before setting policies, rules and long term goals and objectives for the organization. Moreover, this study also make employees aware about the importance of their participation in their respective organizations. In addition study will be a theoretical contribution to the existing literature and also provides genuine support to the researcher who would like to work on other parameters related to employee involvement and job satisfaction in future.

As it is evident from the present research that job satisfaction is 10% influenced by employee involvement, there may be other factors which have major influence on job satisfaction. These variables could also be examined in future and a

Table 3. ANOVA Represents Significant Difference in Age.

Source of Variation Sum of Square Degree of Freedom Mean sequence F- Value

Between Rows (Employee involvement & Job satisfaction) 0.21206 1 0.212 14.735Between Column (Age) 0.08207 2 0.04103 2.851Residual 0.0287 2 0.0143Total 0.3229 5

Table 4. ANOVA Represents Significant Difference in Marital Status.

Source of Variation Sum of Square Degree of Freedom Mean sequence F- Value Between Rows(Employee involvement & Job satisfaction) 0.1622 1 0.1622 6.348Between Column (Marital Status) 0.0278 1 0.0278 1.088Residual 0.0255 1 0.02555Total 0.21556 3


comparative analysis can also be made in various other industries.

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‘Coastal tourism in odisha and its impaCt on BeaCh degradation’

Soumendra Nath Biswas*

Keywords: Abstract: Coastal resources throughout the Odisha Coast are the famous attraction for the tourists. At the same time mass tourism in this region is a major contributor to sewage and solid waste pollution, deforestation, coastal erosion and sedimentation from construction activities. Beach degradation from tourism depends on the number of tourists inflow, the rate of growth of the tourism industry, improper planning and lack of control. Tourism-related physical changes are also widespread for expanding tourism infrastructure projects. The present study is an effort to examine the role of Coastal tourism in Odisha, especially in Puri, Konark, Gopalpur and Chandipur which affect the socio-economic life of the local communities and environmental degradation of the quality of beaches. In the study area, development was based on a rapid growth of tourist demand and chaotic development of tourist facilities. Erosion is very common in Odisha coast. Solutions like sand re-nourishment have not stopped the erosion process. The rising number of tourists exerts a strong pressure on these beaches. Key objective of this paper is to find out how to maintain balance between positive and negative impacts of beach tourism to get optimum benefits and maintain sustainability by protecting it from the environmental catastrophe, manmade hazards followed by beach degradation.

Keywords: Coastal Tourism, Recreation, Beach-Dune System, Ecotourism, Snorkeling, Environmental Degradation, Catastrophe, Sustainability, Erosion

introduCtion

Attempts have been made in this study to examine the catalytic role of Coastal tourism for the development of beaches in Odisha that affects the socio-economic life of the local people, at the same time creates environmental degradation of the quality of beaches. This article begins with the meaning and importance of Coastal Tourism and its impact on the local societies and environment of the coastal zone of Odisha. Key issue of this paper is to find out how to maintain balance between developments of beach tourism and maintain sustainability by protecting it from the environmental catastrophe and manmade hazards. “… merging tourism and conservation effectively is a tricky task, but one which may prove necessary for the survival of both” (Mariana Stockley, NEXUS, 1984, pp 1-7). Coastal tourism and recreation are important parts of the most rapidly growing activity in the international tourism. Tourism and recreation-related development is one of the major factors shaping development patterns in the coastal zones.

Government at all levels must assume appropriate proactive roles to shape and guide coastal tourism development because Coastal tourism which is developed and maintained in an area (community, environment) in such a manner and at such a scale that it remains viable over an indefinite period and does not degrade or alter the environment (human and physical) in which it exists to such a degree that it prohibits

the successful development and well being of other activities and processes” (Butler, 1993, p. 29).

Situated on the eastern coastline of the country, Odisha beaches like Puri, Konark, Gopalpur and Chandipur have wonderful wide white sand, fishing farms and superb resorts making these attractive tourist destinations. Puri is also a part of the famous ‘Golden Triangle’ of tourism destinations in Odisha along with Bhubaneswar and Konark.

Coastal areas of Odisha State in the north-eastern part of the Indian peninsula are potentially vulnerable to accelerated erosion hazard. Along the 480-km coastline, most of the coastal areas, including tourist resorts, hotels, fishing villages, and towns, are already threatened by recurring storm flood events and severe coastal erosion (Kumar et al. 2010). The development of tourism in Coastal Odisha, especially in Puri, Konark, Gopalpur and Chandipur, has led to its economy being based on this sector. Here, mass tourism has great impact on the economy and environment. Here the development was based on a rapid growth of tourist demand and on a chaotic development of tourist facilities. This has had severe consequences for the coastal region specially, insufficiently controlled urban planning, overcrowded beaches, and erosion of the beach-dune system caused by massive construction on the coastal zone. Many beaches have been transformed into urban beaches and their coastline has retreated. Solutions like sand re-nourishment have not stopped the erosion process. The increasing number

* Assistant Professor, Indian Institute of Tourism & Travel Management (IITTM), Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India, Bhu-baneswar, Odisha, India. E-mail: [email protected]


‘Coastal Tourism in Odisha and Its Impact on Beach Degradation’ 49

of residents and visitors exerts a strong pressure on these beaches. This indicates that tourism in Odisha beaches is becoming unsustainable and coastal management policy is urgently required if sustainability is to be achieved.

In this study the main objective is to understand the environmental and ecological aspects and issues which have affected the Odisha coasts and beaches either by tourists or which are faced by tourists. Crossing carrying capacity for tourists’ inflow especially at Puri beach and development of various urban setups has badly affected the ecology of Odisha Coast.

oBJeCtiVes

The main objectives of the Research paper include the following: -

∑ To understand the importance of Coastal Tourism in India especially in Odisha.

∑ To study the present scenario of Odisha coast and its impact on tourist inflow in the state.

∑ To study, analyze and evaluate the effect of Coastal Tourism on beach degradation.

∑ To find out some solution for maintaining sustainability of Coastal tourism in Odisha.

methodologY

To gain insights into the general structure and some of the issues of Coastal tourism, extended conversations were held with the local people, service providers and tourists. These types of experiences were chosen because they represent a diversity of issues and attractions. This study was conducted using self-administered questionnaires. For collecting the data from the primary sources, two sets of structured questionnaire made both for tourists and local people including local service providers. Apart from that, observation, schedules and interview methods were followed for the above said purpose.

COASTAL TOURİSM

Coastal Tourism is basically a leisure based activity and more popular among the people of temperate, warm temperate and cold countries. The term ‘coastal tourism’ means the full range of tourism, leisure, and recreationally oriented activities that take place in the coastal zone and the offshore coastal waters. These include coastal tourism development (hotels, resorts, restaurants, food industry, etc.), and the infrastructure supporting coastal development (retail businesses, marinas, fishing stores, dive shops, beaches, etc.). Also included are ecotourism and recreational activities such as recreational boating, cruises,

swimming, recreational fishing, surfing, water-scootering, para-sailing, snorkelling and scuba diving. Coastal area provides aesthetic and environmental value like beautiful natural scenery with golden sands, lush green vegetation and blue sky. Besides attractions Coastal tourism has led to overall development of tourism in many parts of the world. It has become main source of income in many islands and coastal regions. Coastal tourism is becoming a highly competitive business as country actively seeks to draw increased numbers of visitors to their sea shores.

There is a greater tendency for people to live in coastal areas than inland. The ratio of people living in coastal zones compared with available coastal lands further indicates the same. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report, the average population density in the coastal zone was 77 people/km2 in 1990 and 87 people/km2 in 2000, and 99 people/km2 in 2010 (Kumar et al. 2010).

Beach resort have to be developed as an integrated complex to function as a self-contained community. To maintain its ecosystem, management should ensure the availability of necessary infrastructure in the immediate hinterland to the coastal region. Clean water, healthy coastal habitats, free of currents and underwater rocks and a safe, secure, and enjoyable environment are essential for successful coastal tourism. Similarly, abundant of living marine resources are of critical importance to most recreational experiences. Security from risks associated with natural coastal hazards such as storms, cyclones, tsunamis, are requisite for coastal tourism to be sustainable over the long term. Moreover, in today’s rapid pace of communications, the existence of poor water quality or degraded or eroding beaches is quickly communicated among networks of travel agents, tour operators and others in the tourism marketing business. Ecotourism in association with marine and estuarine protected areas, especially the National Marine Sanctuary Program and National Estuarine Research Reserve Program, has a great potential (Koss, 1995).

In tourism, especially in the case of Coastal Tourism, the lack of attention by public agencies is problematic and coordination between programs that promote and market tourism and those that manage coastal and marine areas is not up to the mark. On the other hand, agencies dealing with the promotion of tourism are not involved with the evaluation of its effects or with advance planning and management of the adverse impacts of tourism through avoidance, mitigation, and compensation strategies (Cicin-Sain, 1993).

Along its vast coastline, India has number of beautiful beaches. The calm and peaceful environment with abundant greenery around is just perfect to relax and refresh the exhausted mind and body. Beaches in India provide the most appealing combination of sun, sand, sea and surf that


is too hard to resist for any beach lover and water sport adventurer. When it comes to beach holidays in India the choice is never-ending. The East Coast with the Bay of Bengal and the West Coast with the Arabian Sea offer many a luxuriant seascape to the traveller. The coasts of India have their own seafood cuisine, relaxing spas, diving and water sports and great places to stay for relaxing and rejuvenating.

geographY and Coastal plains oF odisha:

Odisha, located in the north-eastern coast of India, is a maritime state with immense potential in natural resources. It is located between 17°49′ N and 22°34′ N latitudes and 81°27′ E and 87°29′ E longitudes. The western and northern portions of the state is the part of Chota Nagpur plateau, while along the coast are fertile alluvial plains and the valleys of the Mahanadi, Brahmani, and Baitarani rivers, which fall into the Bay of Bengal. These alluvial plains are home to intensive rice cultivation. Coastline of Odisha is the major nesting ground for the endangered species like Olive Ridley sea turtles and estuarine crocodile. These have attracted various scientific communities for research and studies.

This region is the combination of several deltas of varied sizes and shapes formed by the major rivers of Odisha, such as the Subarnarekha, the Budhabalanga, the Baitarani, the Brahmani, the Mahanadi, and the Rushikulya. Therefore, the coastal plain of Odisha is called the “Hexadeltaic region” or the “Gift of Six Rivers”. It stretches along the coast of the Bay of Bengal having the maximum width in the Middle Coastal Plain (the Mahanadi Delta), narrow in the Northern Coastal Plain (Balasore Plain) and narrowest in the Southern Coastal Plain (Ganjam Plain). The North Coastal Plain comprises the deltas of the Subarnarekha and the Budhabalanga rivers; the Middle Coastal Plain comprises the compound deltas of the Baitarani, Brahmani and Mahanadi rivers. The South Coastal Plain comprises the lagoon lake Chilika and the smaller delta of the Rushikulya River.

BeaChes oF odisha:

The state of Odisha has a coastline of 480 km., and one of the most vibrant coastal environments in India due to its location, and physical factors especially its rivers with their delta, variety of flora and fauna and estuarine systems. The coastline consists of six coastal districts of Odisha, like, Balasore (80 km), Bhadrak (50 km), Kendrapara (68 km), Jagatsinghpur (67 km), Puri (155 km) and Ganjam (60 km).

map showing the state of odisha and its coastline:

(Source: GIS Lab, State Wildlife Organisation)


Some of the popular beaches for tourists are Puri, Konark, Gopalpur and Chandipur. Other beaches are: Paradeep Beach, Aryapalli Beach, Astaranga Beach, Balaramgadi Beach, Balighai Beach, Ramchandi Beach, Talasari Beach etc.

locations of Coastal Villages in odisha:

There are 220 marine villages present in the Odisha coasts. Among these 220 marine villages 30 villages are in remote areas, 181 in rural areas and only 9 villages are in urban patches. The following table gives the detail information about the location of marine villages in different coastal districts.

District Remote Rural Urban TotalBalasore 12 66 0 78Bhadrak 2 19 3 24Kendrapada 5 17 0 22Jagatsingpur 9 32 2 43Puri 1 24 3 28Ganjam 1 23 1 25Total 30 181 9 220

Source: People’s Report on Status of Marine Fisher Community in Orissa

Puri beach is situated on the eastern coastline of the country is famous for its golden sands, gentle sun-bath and the colourful sunrise and sunset overlooking the Bay of Bengal. Puri is one of the three major spots of the Odisha Golden Triangle and one of the four major holy places in India. Located on the shores of Bay of Bengal, it has one of the finest beaches in the world. The annual Rath Yatra (Car Festival) held at Puri is probably one of the largest religious gathering of people attracting several lakh visitors at a time. Puri beach offers a unique opportunity to witness the outstanding sunrise and the sunset on the same beach. It is often crowded with tourists bathing in the sea and enjoying waves, and liking the kiosks on the beach in the night with food stalls and selling souvenirs and artefacts. A comparatively clean and quite place for sunbathing and a relaxed swim can be found at the eastern end. Local fishermen serve as lifeguards on the

beach, and take visitors out to sea in their boats to watch the sunsets. It is exciting to visit a fishing village along the coast. The best time to visit is around dawn, when the fishermen start out from the village and row the fleet towards the rising sun over the sea.

Konark beach in Odisha is rated one of the most excellent beach on the east coast. The long stretch of sparkling sands and a divine tranquillity make this one of the prefect beaches to enjoy. It is one of the best places to watch the sunrise and take a bath. Just 3 Km away from the Sun Temple, Konark Beach in Odisha is a paradise for a beach lover since a beach lover can simultaneously bath in the warmth of the sun and witness the beauty of sunrise or sunset. Another beautiful sight is that of the spotting fishermen, grossly involved in their daily chores with the fish. Clear blue sea a warm bright sunny atmosphere, the sanctimonious ambience and coconut trees. Konark beach symbolize by silvery sand, bracing water, shops with shell crafts and religious associations.

Chandipur beach is situated about 16 kilometres away from Balasore in Odisha and two kilometres away from Balaramgadi where river Budhabalanga falls into the sea. It is one of the calm and cool seashore resort having a rare phenomenon of sea water here recede and proceed 5km everyday i.e. it go back and come out again. Chandipur beach is backed by the magnificent swing of casuarinas trees and brushed sand dunes, make the beach a beautiful place for tourists.

The Gopalpur beach is situated on the Bay of Bengal and is about 16 km away from Berhampur is famous for one of the most untouched beaches of Odisha. It is famous for its coconut trees, and sand dunes which separate the beach from the blue waters and act as the perfect setting for peace and tranquillity. Here, the old lighthouse blinking still today to show directions to the ships in deep sea. Cool breeze of the sea of Gopalpur gives freshness to the intense hit of the summer. Its clean blue water encourages the sea lover to take deep bath, enjoy the sea food and the coconut water to give full package to the beautiful sea resort.

Following table shows that tourists visit at different beaches of Odisha are increasing year to year.

Table : Tourist Arrivals in Major Beaches of Odisha

Beach 2006 2011 Av. annual increase in total- 2006-11 (%)Domestic Foreign Total Domestic Foreign Total

Chandipur 478930 189 479119 554550 125 554675 3.2Puri 1759626 14627 1774253 2616760 19250 2636010 9.7Konark 1196500 7883 1204383 1923470 8100 1931570 12.1Gopalpur 279747 980 280727 299750 1150 300900 1.4

Source: Department of Tourism, Govt. of Odisha


tourism aCtiVitY, urBanaisation and pollution oF BeaChes

It is disgraceful that Odisha is also vulnerable to multiple disasters such as tropical cyclones, storm surges, and tsunamis. The threat of the coastal vulnerability to such hazards has increased manifold with the growing population. Most of the environmental damage caused by tourism development is often due to poor planning of individual tourism schemes and lack of coordination with other departments of various ministries (Kumar B.R. 1995). Many of the attractive beaches of Odisha are near urban concentrations. Urban settlements of these beaches continue to dump sewage and other effluents directly into coastal waters. Stretches and creeks of beaches are contaminated by sludge and sewage of tourist area. Besides these many industrial effluents including dangerous chemicals are also thrown into the sea. All these waste materials contaminate sea water making it unfit for bathing and harming aquatic life. These human factors destroy the beauty of the beaches.

Each and every tourist places have a limited carrying capacity which can be increased to certain level by implementing proper management and technological skill. An environment can absorb a certain number of visitors without any problem. But beyond the optimum level of tourists the environmental degradation begins which leads to erosion of beaches, crushing of trees, wear and tear of roads etc. The environmental damage is aggravated by frequency of visitor or by crossing carrying capacity. Proper measuring of Carrying capacity is very important. As pointed out by Paul Wilkinson (1990):

“It seems clear that tourism carrying capacity-as defined by the question ‘how many is too many’? -is neither appropriate nor heuristic. Using the concept in this sense results in the false impression that a given situation is static and can be reduced to a measurable equation …”

The ecological balance used to get disturbed. Soil erosion increases and water supply becomes inadequate and polluted. Especially in pick season when large number of tourists visit beaches, they leave waste materials like faeces, plastic materials, food wastage, bottles, and other unwanted materials. These are accumulated on beaches and gradually become unsuitable for recreation, if proper cleaning mechanism is not applied.

Especially in the pick season when tourist activity increases on coastal area, affect the aquatic life and quality of water. A large portion of aquatic life like fishes, coral and some endangered species like estuarine crocodile; Olive Ridley sea turtle etc. around the boat jetties and hotel beaches is killed. The discharge of waste materials into the sea causes damage to marine life and degrades the quality of beaches.

Coastal tourism is having both the positive and negative impact. It has positive effect upon the physical and psychological environment of the destination. It provides economic help for conservation and preservation of natural coastal area and marine life. The unspoiled environment is one of the basic elements of coastal tourism resources. So the conservation and preservation of these resources must be seen as an economic investment. At the same time negative effect is also there. There are many reasons of beach degradations, like population pressure and crossing carrying capacity on existing resources, lack of consciousness about environmental issues, illiteracy, poverty, natural catastrophe, improper implementation of planning and lack of controlling measures etc. It is necessary to assess the carrying capacity of tourist development and activity to prevent environmental damage in the coastal area.

Table : Accommodation available in Major Beaches of Odisha:

Beach No of Hotels No of Rooms No of BedsChandipur 14 256 605Puri 340 6979 14946Konark 16 180 398Gopalpur 17 211 466

Source: Department of Tourism, Govt. of Odisha

Coastal erosion

Coastline forms the most active interface between land and sea. Basically sandy beaches are always in a state of change since every wave lifts and moves quantities of sand to different locations. Waves approach from offshore finally breaking and surging up the foreshore. Sometimes increased water levels or wave heights the sand above the low water mark is eroded, carried offshore and deposited in a block. Eventually enough sand is collected to effectively decrease the depths and cause the storm waves to break further offshore. This reduces wave action on the beach and helps to re-establish equilibrium. At open coast sites the process eventually reverses, and within short period waves return the sand to the beach, after storms. At sheltered sites where no exposure to oceanic swells exist, the recovery does not occur and storm caused erosion becomes permanent.

Natural Causes: the most obvious cause for coastal erosion is the result of increased wave action and increased wave energy at the beach zone.

Man Made Causes: the principle cause of beach erosion is reef death, destroying plants and vegetation, as a result of near shore pollution and physical clearing. Other causes are construction of roads and buildings, lack of planning and awareness etc.


eFFeCts oF erosion

There are two obvious and noticeable effects of beach erosion: 1. The loss of previously available beach area, and 2. The damage to beach property.

THE ROLE OF THE GOVERNMENT İN COASTAL TOURİSM MANAGEMENT:

For economic activity, tourism is difficult to influence and manage directly, because tourism-related development is driven largely by the private sector and its assessment of economic opportunities. However the Government may take active role for providing following infrastructure for Coastal Tourism Management: 1. Good coastal management practices mainly tourism

infrastructure and the provision of public access. 2. Availability of clean water and air, and healthy coastal

ecosystems. 3. Maintaining a safe and secure recreational environment

through the management of coastal hazards like erosion, storms, floods etc. and the provision of adequate levels of safety for boaters, swimmers, and other water users.

4. Beach restoration efforts that maintain the recreational values of beaches.

5. Sound policies for wildlife and habitat protection.

Coastal management and planning:

For ensuring sustainable tourism development three management practices under the Coastal Zone Management (CZM) program are especially important, these are: 1. Provisions for the management of coastal development, 2. Provisions to improve public access to the beaches,

and 3. Provisions to protect coastal environments.

proteCtion oF Coastal haBitats:

For management of coastal tourism and recreation, healthy coastal habitats like wetlands, beaches, dunes, sea grass, mangroves, and estuaries are important. Within specified coastal tourism zone, states and the local governments regulate activities which could adversely impact these habitats.

management oF Clean Water and healthY eCosYstems:

Clean water and healthy coastal ecosystems are essential to the maintenance of coastal tourism. Special planning and management efforts are crucial to improve water quality and habitats. These include goals related with resource and water-quality and the action plans necessary to meet these. The direct contribution to coastal economies made by cleaning up coastal waters is to be recognized.

management oF Coastal hazards:

Hazards are more prone to the vulnerable group. People who are staying in the coastal region should have some responsibility. While government cannot be expected to protect individuals from their own irresponsibility, it does have a responsibility to provide the information necessary to take decisions regarding degrees of risk associated with living in various parts of the coastal zone. Furthermore, coastal areas that are clearly hazardous as building sites should be reserved for other uses. Government also has the responsibility to provide adequate warnings of impending storms or other hazardous conditions, and to develop plans for coping with such emergencies. Increasing numbers of people who are attached with recreational boating, fishing requires rescue services, e.g., life jackets and other emergency equipment and monitoring and enforcement of boating operations.

management oF Coastal reCreation aCtiVities:

Recreational activities and adventure sports are common in coastal areas. Recreational uses of a consumptive nature include hunting, fishing, shell collection etc., and non-consumptive nature include swimming, surfing, sun-bathing, boating, wind-surfing, snorkelling, diving, etc. As coastal recreation activities have flourished in Odisha coast, the need for active management has increased as well.

surVeY analYsis:

Coverage and Sample size: For collecting data from the primary sources, two sets of structured questionnaire made both for local people including local service providers and tourists. Sample sizes for Local people were 150 and for Tourists were 100. As regards to sampling, random selection procedure was adopted for picking up respondents. While selecting the samples, efforts were also made to have a fair representation of all four selected beaches of Odisha like: Chandipur, Puri, Konark and Gopalpur.


Data Analysis: The analysis is based on the collected data from selected beaches of Odisha. Majority of the respondents have given their view towards positive Economic Impact but at the same time they have given their negative feedback towards the Environmental of the coastal zone. From these data it is clear that Coastal Tourism is very useful

in terms of income and Job creation and proper planning and implementation of the plan is extremely essential to maintain sustainability and protect environment especially for the benefit of vulnerable Local residents and Biosphere of the area.

Table- : Perception of Local People on Economic and Infrastructural Impacts of Tourism (In %)

Impacts Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagreeTourism has created Job in the Beach area 62 14 08 12 04Incomes of the Local people have increased 44 20 16 14 06Nos. of Tourist are increasing in the Beach 48 20 20 08 04Roads have been developed for Tourists 45 21 19 10 05Recreational facilities have come up 37 27 18 11 07Toilets have been developed for Tourists 46 20 16 12 06

Table- : Perception of Local People on Environmental Impacts of Tourism (In %)

Impacts Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagreeBeach is becoming crowded 56 22 15 06 01Garbage has increased 52 20 17 08 03Cleanliness is maintained properly 22 21 15 23 19Vehicular Pollution has increased 27 19 22 17 15Water quality has deteriorate because of sewage and Solid waste 41 27 14 11 07Beach is degrading because of more numbers of Tourists 47 27 15 06 05

Table- : Perception of Tourists on Economic and Infrastructural Impacts of Tourism (In %)

Impacts Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagreeAccommodation facility is good 33 24 23 12 08

Roads have been developed 38 20 16 20 06Recreational facilities have come up 30 21 37 10 02Toilets have been developed for Tourists 36 25 07 22 10Entertainment & Restaurant Facilities are good 27 31 22 13 07

Table- : Perception of Tourists on Environmental Impacts of Tourism (In %)

Impacts Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagreeBeach is becoming crowded 45 18 21 07 09Garbage has increased 53 22 11 08 06Cleanliness is maintained properly 40 26 17 11 06Vehicular Pollution has increased 38 25 21 09 07Water quality has deteriorate because of sewage and Solid waste

39 26 20 08 07

Beach is degrading because of more numbers of Tourists 27 21 31 11 10


Table- : Cost-Benefit Analysis Framework Proposed for Tourism Facilities of Coastal Odisha

COASTAL TOURISM BENEFITS COSTSFacilities in the Coastal Zone Coastal Plain Beach and Shoreline Coastal Plain Beach and Shoreline

Tourism Complexes and Large Resorts

Income Jobs Investment Infrastructure

Income Jobs Invest-ment Infrastructure

Water Supply/Quality.Sewage, Solid Waste. More Social Tension. Stimulate Imports and less use of local products Increased Density.

Water Supply/Quality.Sewage, Solid Waste. Loss of Non-Renewable Stimulate Imports.More Social Tension.

Small Hotels and Resorts Income Jobs Income Jobs Water Supply/Quality.Sewage, Solid Waste. Loss of Non-Renewable Stimulate Imports.Increased Density.Stimulate Imports and less use of local products

Sewage and Solid Waste Creating Social Tension Increased Density More Stressful Use and beach degradation

Entertainment & Restaurant Facilities

Income Jobs Infrastructure

Income Jobs Water Supply/Quality Sewage and Solid Waste Creating Social Tension Stimulate Imports and less use of local products Increased Density

Water Supply/Quality Sewage and Solid Waste Creating Social Tension Stimulate Imports Increased Density

Shore side Recreational Facilities Income Jobs Infrastructure

Income JobsSupport for Environ-ment

Sewage, Solid Waste Social Tension Increased Density More Stressful Use and beach degradation

Sewage, Solid Waste Creating Social Tension Increased Density More Stressful Use and beach degradation

1. Analysis of Environmental Degradation from Tourism Facilities in the Coastal area of Odisha:

Table- : Environmental Degradation Analysis Framework Proposed for Tourism Facilities of Coastal Odisha

Facilities in the Coastal Zone Coastal Plain Beach and Shoreline

Tourism Complexes and Large Resorts Physical Change of landGroundwater Pollution Solid Waste Visual Impacts Harmful for Biosphere

Physical Change Groundwater Pollution Pollution on coastlineSolid WasteDegrading water quality

Small Hotels and Resorts Physical Change Groundwater Pollution Solid Waste Displacement Harmful for Biosphere

Physical Change Groundwater Pollution ToxicitySolid Waste Displacement

Entertainment & Restaurant Facilities Physical Change Groundwater Pollution Solid Waste NoiseDisturbance to Biosphere

Physical Change Groundwater Pollution Toxicity Solid Waste Disturbance to Biosphere

Shore side Recreational Facilities Physical Change Solid Waste Displacement Disturbance to Biosphere

Physical Change Toxicity Solid Waste Displacement Disturbance to Biosphere


Findings and Recommendations have been given based on the Data Analysis

Findings:

Coastal tourism involves major economic activity in seashore of India, especially in Odisha therefore it must be planned and managed with special care to ensure that the environmental qualities on which coastal tourism depend is maintained and improved. Major findings and areas of future work are concise below: 1. Coastal tourism provides a huge economic benefit in

Odisha, both in terms of jobs and earnings and in terms of balance of payments and governmental revenues. Values of Coastal Tourism and its impact should be recognised by the State Government and other local policymakers.

2. The attractability of Odisha coast is beyond doubt and it can attract the sensitive eco-tourists. The strengths of beaches are relatively easy accessibility and abundance of natural resources.

3. Availability of systematic collection of data and information on the magnitude, nature, and economic and environmental impacts of tourism in Coastal Odisha are not up to the mark. This information is vital while planning for Costal Tourism.

4. Tourism policies and programs related with coastal planning and management, clean water, beach nourishment, management of coastal hazards & safety and maintaining carrying capacity are interrelated and should be treated as a whole.

5. One third of the state’s 480 km coastline is under the threat of erosion. The trend is more pronounced at Gopalpur, Puri beach, Konark-Chandrabhaga-Ramchandi beach and Paradip-Jatadhar mouth.

6. Due to the negligence, natural vegetation is disappearing because of cutting of trees, for tents, poles and fireworks. Pedestrian and vehicular traffic also affects vegetation.

7. Dumping of garbage increases population of fungi and algae which affects the local vegetation. Many waste material like plastic and glasses are not decomposed and create permanent pollution.

8. Swargadwar at Puri beach is the open funeral cremation ground uses firewood which creates environmental pollution.

reCommendations:

∑ Considering the peculiarity of the resource structure of Puri, Gopalpur and Chandipur beach, along with the

beach tour, other nature-related tourist activities like health tourism, water based adventure sports etc. can be planned on a sustained basis.

∑ As a part of the nature tour, the spots where there are chances of seeing wild animals, adequate arrangements should be made so that such animals can be seen in its natural settings without disturbing them.

∑ Tourist’s interpretation centre should be established in every beaches of Odisha. The interpretation centre should act as a ‘life-enrichment centre’ where the link between the nature and human life are established. There should be provisions for briefing by experienced Guide with audio-visual systems.

∑ Regular, controlled beach profile survey must be done to know the real conditions of the beaches and accordingly decisions can be taken for protection.

∑ The dustbins should be installed at major stop-over points and tourists should be discouraged in carrying the plastic and polithin bags in the beach. As an alternative, bio-degradable carry bags can be allowed with the instructions to take it back.

∑ To control erosion, the Geo synthetic tube technology i.e. geo-tubes which are made up of high grade rexin material and filled with sand can be used and put on the bank of the sea. Use of geo-tube would be a better erosion-proof mechanism, as it would reduce striking force of the sea waves.

∑ Assigning a competent authority to review all erosion control plans to assure that protection of one area does not result in damage to another.

∑ Local government must prohibit sand removal from beaches.

∑ Provide proper solid waste disposal containers and adequate collection services in highly used areas.

∑ Plantation on the seashore must be done seriously. Ensure that vegetation or re-vegetation programmes are used and monitored to ensure that beach stability is maintained.

ConClusion:

Coastal tourism is one of the major forms of recreational tourism and an important part of the most rapidly growing activity in the world. Tourism and recreation-related development is one of the major factors shaping development patterns in the coastal zones. Water conditions of Coastal areas must be of a sufficiently high quality to allow people full use of these resources for water based recreation. There should be proper study of water quality, temperature, heights of waves and tides, speed of currents, occurrence of natural catastrophe, manmade pollution,


and erosion etc. Maintaining carrying capacity is the prerequisites for sustainable tourism development in the coastal region.

India has very long coastline and numerous islands. It has ample scope to develop coastal tourism here. The calm and peaceful environment with abundant greenery around is just perfect to relax and refresh the exhausted mind and body. Beaches in India provide the most appealing combination of sun, sand, sea and surf that is too hard to resist for any beach lover and water sport adventurer. Odisha is situated on the eastern coastline. The state of Odisha has a coastline of 480 km., and one of the most vibrant coastal environments in India due to its location, and physical factors especially its rivers with their delta, estuarine systems, and variety of flora and fauna. Some of the popular beaches of Odisha for tourists are Puri, Konark, Gopalpur and Chandipur. Puri is also one of the most well known and important Hindu pilgrimage centres. The Jagannath Temple, one of the four most important Hindu pilgrimage sites is located here.

Beaches, apart from their aesthetic and recreational qualities, are of vital importance to the coastal zone simply because they act as a buffer zone against erosion. There are several contributory factors which can influence beach erosion. The effects of erosion operating on a beach, over a period of time can be monitored. Also with the remedial measures to prevent erosion, should be analysed for their effectiveness. Government at all levels must assume appropriate proactive roles to shape and guide coastal tourism development.

Many of the attractive beaches of Odisha are vulnerable for degradation. Urban settlements of these beaches continue to dump sewage and other effluents directly into coastal waters. Stretches and creeks of beaches are contaminated by sludge and sewage of tourist area. All these waste materials contaminate sea water making it unfit for bathing and harming aquatic life. These human factors destroy the beauty of the beaches. Along with these, erosion is also a problem for Odisha coastline. Useful mechanisms like beach profile monitoring, the use of structural measures together with effective strategies are the most reasonable ways to fight with erosion problems in coastal areas of Odisha, which depends heavily on its beach resources.

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Seth, P. N. (1999). Handbook of Island Tourism. Anmol Publications, New Delhi.

Stockley, M. (1984). Tourism and conservation: Compatible ideas?” In: NEXUS, 6(3). Atlantic Center for the Environment, a division of the Quebec-Labrador Foundation, Montreal.

Wadia, D. N. (1981). Geology of India. Tata McGraw Hill Publishing Co., New Delhi.

Wilkinson, P. F. (1990). Carrying capacity in tourism plan-ning: Is the question ‘how many is too many?’ Either Appropriate or Heuristic. Report from Conference on “Tourism and Socio-Cultural Change in the Caribbean. Caribbean Tourism Organisation, Trinidad and Tobago (25–28 June, 1990).

“Topology”. Orissa.gov.in. http://Orissa.gov.in/topography/topography.htm. Retrieved on 2013-09-20.


Following Photographs showing erosion, have taken from Konark, Odisha near Lotus Resort:

ADVISORY BOARD

Professor Chris CooperDirector, Christel deHaan Tourism and Travel Research lnstituteUnited Kingdom

Professor Kaye ChonChair Professor & Director- School of Hotel and Tourism ManagmentHong Kong

Professor Brian KingHead of School of Hospitality, Tourism and Marketing, Victoria UniversityAustralia

Professor C. Michael HallUniversity of Canterbury, Christchurch,New Zealand

Dr. T.V. SinghEditor-in-Chief, Tourism Recreation ResearchIndia

Professor Zhang GuangruiDirector, Tourism Research CentreP.R China.

Dr. Fevzi Okumus

Editor of International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality ManagementUnited States of America

Professor S. KulshresthaIndian Institute of Tourism and Travel ManagementIndia

EDITORIAL BOARD

Editor-in-chiefProf. Sandeep Kulshreshtha

EditorDr. Sutheeshna Babu. S

Deputy EditorsDr. Charu Sheela Yadav

Sanjeev Reddy CKN. Subramaniam

Jeet Dogra

l.J. Tourism and Travel (IJT&T) is the bi-annual international journal of lndian lnstitute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM). Objective of this journal is to create value for enterprises and organisations in tourism, travel and related sectors and those committed to support them- policy makers, intervention agencies, researchers and academics, by establishing a platform for learning through sharing from experience, dialogue, creativity and imagination. Every issue of the journal many include contributions based on research, policy issues, conceptual models, reviews, case studies, view points, best practices, book reviews, conference reviews, etc. Contributors from all over are invited to share their ideas, knowledge, and experience through this platform. Authors and audiences may contact the editorial team at:

I.J. Tourism and TravelResearch Unit

Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM)Govindpuri

Gwalior 474011 MP INDIAFax.: +91-751-2344054

E-mail : [email protected]

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the articles carried in T&T do not reflect the opinion of Indian Institute of Travel and Tourism Management (IITTM) or the editorial team. The information in this journal in believed to be correct, but should not be treated as a substitute for detailed advice in individual situations. It is published without responsibility on part of IITTM and editorial team whether arising out of any negligence, misrepresentation or otherwise for loss occasioned to any person or organisation acting or refraining from acting as a result of any information contained herein. Claims for missing issues can be made within a period of four months of publication. Copyright©2014 Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management International Journal of Tourism and Travel is a bi-annual journal of Indian Institute of Travel and Tourism Management, Gwalior, 474O11, India. Printed and published by Director, Indian Institute of Travel and Tourism Management, Gwalior. Chief-editor: Prof. Sandeep Kulshreshtha, Indian Institute of Travel and Tourism Management, Gwalior 474011.

AdvertisementsInternational Journal of Tourism and Travel Management will accept advertisements. All advertisements are subject to approval by the Editor-in-chief. For details and rates please contact the IITTM office.

SubmissionsInternational Journal of Tourism and Travel Management publishes in the following categories of contributions- policy issues, research articles, concept papers, reviews and cases studies. Shorter contributions of 1500-3000 words are welcome in special categories of viewpoint, best practices, notes, concerns, book reviews and conference reports.Keeping in mind the audiences, presentation should be lucid and comprehensible. Authors are requested to make it to the point without using an extravagant or ornate language. Even it the manuscript reports the findings of original research, the methodology should be presented clearly and to the extent possible, in a non-technical manner such that our readers with limited back grounds in research methods and analysis are not discouraged from reading the article. Submissions must not be restricted to mere statement of facts. A lot of importance is attached to the analysis of the issue/concept/ findings and their potential for value addition to existing body of knowledge or practice for Tourism, travel and related activities.Preferred method of submitting manuscripts is through electronic mail to the editor. Submission should be made in Word .doc or .rtt formats. Do not disclose your identity anywhere in the paper except on the cover page.Always indicate which category of submission you are making. Editor/ referees can suggest a change of category.While submitting electronically always mention in the subject line: Enterprise/ Author name/ first three words in the title.In case manuscript is submitted through surface mail, submit three copies it must accompany paper on CD in the desired format. Ensure that file is free of viruses. It is generally good to create a folder and one copy each inside and outside he folder is sate.For detailed guidelines on submission or for submission contact:

Editor

I.J. Tourism and TravelResearch UnitIndian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM)Govindpuri, Gwalior 4740l 1 (MP) INDIAE-mail: [email protected]

CopyrightIt is a condition of publication that manuscripts submitted to this journal have not been published and will not be simultaneously submitted or published elsewhere. By submitting e manuscript, the authors agree that the copyright for the article is transferred to the publisher, it and when the article is accepted for publication. The copyright covers the exclusive rights to reproduce and distribute the article, including reprints, photographic reproductions, microform, electronic or other reproductions of similar nature and translations. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without permission in writing from the copyright holder.

Intern

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el 2014

ISSN: 0974-2603Vol. 7, No. 1 & 2, 2014


Tourism and Travel

Tourism and Travel

Vo

lum

e 7 Issue 1&

2Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management(An Organization of Ministry of Tourism, Government of India)

Govindpuri, Gwalior - 474 011 (M.P.)

Website: www.iittm.org

In this Issue

ISSN: 0974-2603Vol. 7, No. 1 & 2, 2014


Tourism and Travel

Tourism and Travel

Journal in association with

Ph: 011-28082485, 011-47044510

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.publishingindia.com

Publishing India Group

Estimating the Recreational Demand and Ecotourism Value of Mountain in Tourism Spots Arunachal Pradesh, India

Amitava MitraMaila Lama

Being Disabled Tourists: Influence of Barriers in Travel Decision-making

Sutheeshna Babu. S

Sustainable Tourism through Community Participation: A Study of the effects of capacity building in Puducherry

Sampad Kumar Swain

Comparative Analysis of First-time and Repeat Foreign Visitors to a Destination Country

Ahmand Puad Mat SomAzizan MarzukiSu Hasnah Hassan

Human Resource Development and Capacity Building in the Tourism Sector

Aparna Raj

Collaborative Participation in Destination Management : A Case of stakeholders in sustaining Pondichery

Sanjeev Reddy CKG Anajaneya SwamyNimit Chowdhary

Projecting and Promoting Kaziranga in Travel Websites: An analysis on select parameters

Pranjal Kumar Mahanta

Perceptions of Tourists toward E-tourism in IndiaMandeep KaurNitasha Sharma

Documents

Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management …...International Journal of Tourism and Travel 2014 ISSN: 0974-2603 Vol. 7, No. 1 & 2, 2014 International Journal of Tourism and